Dreamcatcher
by A Glimpse of Ethereal Blue
Summary: Story sets up after FF7 Last Order. After Sephiroth launched himself into damnation with Jenova's head, the entire planet seemed to breathe out in relief. However… there are unexpected events slumbering in the bottom of that reactor. SephirothxOC.[CoverArt:Yamillian]
1. Prologue

Author's note:

Hello there everyone!

First of all, I would like to thank all of you who spend time reading in the internet – just like me – and comment, review, give constructive opinions and care to open your mind to us. I admire all FF VII characters, artwork and everything concerned, but hey, they're property of Square Enix, so – I (sadly) own nothing.

This is my first fic online. My mind has been working fast lately about this whole new story I am about to share with you.

So… that is why I am giving you some details, so you can grow a little bit curious about it: The plot line is set right after Sephiroth throws himself into the doom, along with Jenova's head. As you all well remember, Cloud had wounded him and Sephiroth wasn't thinking straight – in other words, he had gone _mad_.

In this story there is a new character involved. She is a technician, working with ShinRa, responsible for maintenance tasks. She has a dark, sad past and she lives a difficult life as a runaway, wishing she could be just… invisible. Her name is Sora. I chose this name because it has a gracefulness that I find rather enjoyable to pronounce. And it is a name that fits worldwide languages. Anyway she is young and she will face the appalling unknown, the uncertainty of destiny's claws… sooner than she might think.

So, until I finish the official first chapter, here it is a small taste of this brand new story... "Dreamcatcher ".

**Prologue**

I felt my head was spinning, hazy. I didn't know what that noise was… exactly. But it was sharp against my fragile, massacred ears.

It was only my mobile phone.

I got up from my bed fast – maybe too fast for my own benefit. Strangely entwined in between bed sheets and thick wool covers, my sleepy hand reached for the noisy device that seemed to have gained life of its own.

"Hello…" My voice must have sounded like I was buried deep in a world war two bunker of some sort.

"Sora?" A male voice. Usually, it would freak me out to listen to a male voice at this time of the night but… I recognized that voice already, from the last six months of my life. It was my supervisor.

"Yes, sir."

"I am sorry to disturb your holidays at such inappropriate hour."

I breathed evenly, thinking the inevitable ._Yeah, cut the crap already…_

"What is it?"

"Did you not hear about what happened at our work area?" My supervisor seemed to be genuinely surprised.

"No…"

"Well I guess you really were away from reality then."

_I was on vacation. It means to disconnect from real world..._

"So, what happened?"

"A disturbance with the higher rank of… military troops." He mumbled.

"What, _the_ Soldier force?" I was having a hard time believing that. What, the military couldn't keep their testosterone conflicts in their own vicinity?

"Yes, things got unstable a week ago and there was some sort of mutiny between them. The village near Niebelheim was destroyed, not to mention people dead."

Oh. My. God. This was really serious. People had been killed. Hell must have broken loose in that place! I was only capable of being silent, as I heard my supervisor speaking.

"And there is the thing. Our place of work was shut down."

"What? How come they shut down the reactor?"

"Something happened there… and there is secrecy about it."

Wow that was a plus. Secret events happening in random radioactive places. _Nice_.

"Now what?" I breathed.

"We'll be reassigned. No idea when and where."

"So that is why you are calling me at 6 a.m.?"

"No. I am calling you because the president ordered that maintenance staff must check out the reactor to prevent eventualities, on a weekly basis."

He had got to be kidding me.

"But the thing is shut down. There are no such things as eventualities concerning that."

"Well we have to do it, no matter what."

"So… what are we supposed to do? To wander around and check out if that _thing_ remains dead?"

I knew I shouldn't call "_thing"_ to Mr. Reactor itself. But hey, since it was literally dead… why not?

"Basically, yes."

"It is ridiculous but… if they're still paying me to do that…I guess it is fine."

"There is nothing to worry about. You just go there and do your job as you used to. The only difference is that, now… the monster is silenced."

Well my supervisor won me on that one. He was very fond of mysticisms.

"O.k. I'll go this evening, then."

"Call me when you're done. I have to report to the president."

"Since when do you report to the president?"

"Apparently… since now."

"Very well then. Bye"

"Bye."

Something really big must have happened. My supervisor reporting to the president itself! It was insane, to say the least.

With a swift move I got out of bed, in search of the plug to turn the television on. I did not connect the television since I finally had those days to myself. Yes, I was on vacation but I didn't travel. I chose to stay at home and rest, to bathe in the crushing silence of my scarcely decorated apartment. I was very fond of silence and calm. I had had my dose of noise, beating and nonsense violence… but I was already free of it, five years and counting.

Apparently, I was good running away from people… I had been quite effective disappearing out of thin air… and I didn't even have to change my name.

Suddenly, the TV was on and I immediately recognized the news channel reporter vocalizing about what had happened about a week ago.

I sit comfortably in my bed, again, and I listened, hoping I didn't miss anything vital that would eventually compromise the little trip to my out-of-order ex-place of work, this very afternoon.

So, what do you think? Excessively obvious or... interesting? Anyway it is just a small taste of it. R&R as you like and give me as much feedback as you want!

I'll post soon...


	2. Chapter 1

Author's note**:**

**Sorry! I know… it took me ages to post this chapter! However I had a super demanding exam to study for and my precious time was consumed in those matters. **

**But hey, better late than never! I hope you enjoy it!**

**[As always, I own nothing, except for Sora, who is a product of my imagination :) ]**

_**Chapter 1**_.

Television programming was hectic. There was an irritating agitation all over the channels, repeating the story over and over again, in different perspectives, according the opinion of Mr. This and Mr. That, confronting the situation with past and future events, etcetera and etcetera.

However, the truth was I did not really understand what had – really -happened right there in that reactor. The news mentioned a military riot, involving two different stories that, somehow, collided. Apparently, there had been some soldiers – those from higher ranks, to whom they called 1st class – that had rebelled, ran away and the special guard from Shinra had been pursuing them forever since, with no further news about them. There had been two of them, one named Fair and the other one named Strife. However these two had been in the reactor as well, gathered with their general – it seemed. That one – the general – had a really awkward name - Sephiroth. Ok, it's not that my own name is usual… but hey, let's admit that Sephiroth is kind of… freaky.

Well, name freakiness apart, the thing that had happened at the reactor hadn't been fully understood. The three of them had been there, there had been misunderstanding and the general – had died – according to the authorities, suicide. The other two had suffered main injuries, the lab personal from Shinra had taken them into their premises and… no news from that point.

Pfff, what a mess. Not to mention the mystification behind all those comments. What confused me the most was the fact I did not fully comprehend the timing of all those events. Anyway, now the television was showing a so-called famous psychiatrist commenting about the mental health at military premises. The man referred especially to the general's mental status and the reasons behind such deviant attitudes. Burning down the village near to the reactor, murdering and slaughtering without even thinking… going insane inside the reactor itself and then committing suicide inside it… definitely, it was crazy.

_Completely nuts_.

I looked avidly at the images the television offered me. There were no photographs of those involved, only a repetitive mini-movie of the places where all the action had taken place. The little village, the houses burned down, all destroyed around it… bloody ground and traces of violent death were all that those images reflected.

I sighed, not knowing what to think of all what I had heard and seen. The world was upside down. I unplugged the television in a sudden movement, already bored with the constant repetition. Honestly, T.V. channels were so tiresome sometimes, squeezing the events to a rather ridiculous level.

O.k, so the man had gone mad. Too bad for him. He had killed so many people – well that was bad, totally inhuman of him, and he ought to be hardly punished for that, but hey – he was already dead. There was nothing anyone could do about it so… why insist on it so much?

Oh, I could only imagine the amount of idiot theories the media was going to invent to justify his attitude. The general'madness; the military environment is mentally unhealthy… blah blah blah. And all this justified by psychological crap and psychiatric bullshit.

Without patience to hear anymore blabbering about the theme, I decided not to pay attention to it anymore. This was fresh news, and I was willing to bet television was going to explore the situation for a long time. Maybe for months. So, why insist and bother in understanding everything and knowing all the sordid details of the true events? Things would come out, eventually and then… the entire world would know the truth. For now, I needed peace of mind.

Besides, my apparent peaceful life had suffered an unexpected turn. My weekly vacation had been prolonged (thank you, Mr. mad-man military general for having a nervous breakdown right about now) and I was about to be relocated.

That was good. Relocation was fine. Payment was great, at Shinra. The only thing I had to do was… stick to the rules and do my job. That was fine for me. It had been more than enough to rent an apartment near Nibelheim and make my living as a normal human being.

Oh, the blessing peace of silence… and privacy. It was simply great.

Heading to the kitchen, I wondered what to prepare for lunch and dinner. I enjoyed cooking – very much – but since I was a lonely woman now, I didn't have the motivation to cook like a freaking maniac. But I always experimented and innovated, as long as I could, as long as I was capable of. Weekends were great for gastronomic try-outs.

Hum… maybe today I would try to make some pasta, with some creamy sauce, cheese and… mushrooms. Yes… definitely, it was it.

I was on my way to my so-recently-abandoned place of work around seven p.m.. It wasn't completely dark, but the sky already had that gloomy blue tone, intertwined with the intense orange glowing of the sun, about to disappear behind the horizon line. I guess that was the moment of the day they used to call "dusk". I was driving slowly, rather mechanically in that road I already knew by heart. After all, I walked this path every day for the last six months.

From the place I lived to Nibelheim was half an hour of driving. I got used to do it, and I enjoyed it. Driving was another of my passions, besides cooking.

However my mind was busy with the contents of the telephone-call my supervisor had made so early in the morning. I only hoped the place to where we all were going to be transferred was fine as this one. I only hoped it could be even more hidden from big cities than this particular place, this Reactor close to Nibelheim. The company had to inform us, at some point. I needed to know if I had to change or not. My apartment was rented, and if I was going to work to a place very far… I would have to search for a place to stay… again.

My mind wandered thought these issues, but not for too long, while the road led me to my destiny. At some point, I started to see the marks of burning all around me. Trees, houses, a total havoc around that place the news called "The Village near the reactor". There were traces of blood as well. Dry, splattered, it gave chord to our imagination.

I felt a sudden goosebump up my spine, only of imagining it. A mad man, killing people without purpose, making his way into flesh and bone, not considering he was taking innocent human souls.

My god. The human's mind is an unknown mystery, after all.

In ten minutes I was at the place where I usually parked the car in.

I left the rented vehicle that had been mine for almost seven months. I looked around and felt astonished with the silence that surrounded me.

I was exactly at the base of the reactor, near the maintenance entrance. It was my usual place of entry, daily basis. I stood, for a couple of minutes, looking at the sleeping monster in front of me. The reactor was so still, so silent. It was so weird to be here in this circumstance.

Clearing my head with a sudden movement, I breathed in and out deeply, reminding me of my mission here: Go inside, check everything's ok concerning technical matters and leave. That was it.

I remembered, once again, my supervisor words. That was it. Do what I did every day, and… leave.

Closing the car door next to me, I stepped to the entrance that was ten meters from the place I stood. I checked for the keys in my pocket, confirming I had brought them.

_Relax. This is going to be just fine, Sora_.

Ok, my mind was trying to put me at ease. However, I had to confess the dead silence that surrounded me was… scary as hell. I know, it was only the suggestion of recent happenings and events in that very place.

Anyway, there wasn't anything to be afraid of. The worst part had already happened, days from here. Not now. Now, things were calm. Things were quiet. There was nothing there, only a silenced machine that used to work for a lot of years… that was it.

Already inside, I let myself find the lights, that were out. My feeble, trembling hands reached the buttons I had pushed so many times, during my daily work here. In less than two seconds, the huge, mazy halls that made the bottom of that reactor were illuminated.

Quickly, I let myself go to the maintenance rooms whose location I knew by heart. My nervous footsteps were silent, however I had the sensation I was being extremely noisy. I had to check the five maintenance rooms that were placed in circle, surrounding the bottom of the reactor.

_O.k, I can do this_.

Yes, I was capable of doing this, my tasks weren't that difficult. Now, with my mind busy with the matters at hand, I let the fear inside me to dissipate and concentrated myself instead in checking the complex panels available in each maintenance room. From one room to another, I checked and re-checked that all the machines were shutdown, that there was no residual activity in the area of any kind and that the core reactor itself was really … dead.

In the last room – room five – we, the maintenance staff, had a private view of the reactor itself. There was a huge, thick glass that provided us a glimpse of the events inside the huge machine. Usually, there was always shiny green in the other side of that glass; but today, from that particular place, all I could see was only… pitch black.

Well, that was uncomforting. It gave me the awkward sensation someone was actually seeing me behind all that… black. Which was impossible, I knew it, but hey, a human's mind plays all kinds of tricks on you.

Trying to avert my eyes from the black glass at my left side, I directed my stare to the board at the right. Checking and re-checking, I was only capable of concluding everything was more than ok. Besides, my supervisor had been here already, he had checked things up too.

Definitely, there was nothing there to worry about.

At least, that was what I thought so.

Quickly, I aimed at the panels at my left side, right below the disturbing black the innocent glass provided. I focused in those boards as well, only to conclude everything was ok.

I breathed in and out once more, loudly, a sigh of relief. Well, I could leave now without worries, there was absolutely nothing wrong ab-

A sudden movement next to the door startled me. Reflexively, I looked in that direction, not knowing what to expect.

_Did I dream of that_? - My mind wondered. I was capable of swearing I had seen someone at the door. Someone that had been probably watching me since I was inside this maintenance room.

_Is that even possible? But this place is closed since_… - My mind tried to justify the event as rationally as possible.

No, something had to be going on. Maybe I had just imagined it. The place is suggestive, the situation, the surroundings… as well. It's just normal that I am seeing things.

Without thinking, I reached the door, closing it behind me and looking around me once more, with sharp eyes and ears. I did not hear a thing. Nothing at all… except for that disturbing stillness, that freaked me out since the very beginning of my tour around the reactor.

"Hello?" I dared, my voice shabby and weak.

No one answered. At least, I did not hear any answer. So, I tried one more time, before giving up for good.

"Anybody?"

This time, an answer came, but not in the form of a voice. From my right side, I heard the typical buzz of a light bulb failing, until disappearing… completely. I could not see a thing past maintenance room four. It was black, in the end of that hall… the same black behind that glass in the last room I had been recently.

I gazed the pitch black for a few seconds. I did not see anything. I didn't know what to do.

_Should I leave_? My mind asked, mainly at myself.

And then, something happened. The answer to my question came, again, however this time, it had a form, a color.

In the edges of the darkness ahead of me, I was able to discern a shape. It was feminine, that was for sure. Half hidden, the long hair seemed to have a fluid consistency, as if there was wind around her. Her face… I couldn't discern how it was, its contours. I could only guess the jaw line, the nose, part of her eyes and front. The eyes were closed. The hair was not dark, although I couldn't realize the exact color of it. It was so shadowy around her and yet, a subtle glowing all around that woman and I didn't know where it came from… this was so odd.

Her shoulders, arms and hands rested in front of her body, while her hips, along with her legs seemed to make a movement similar to levitation.

My mouth opened, bewilderment invading my core.

_What is that?_...

Yet again, there was no verbal answer. What I was about to see would change my life forever.

I was lost in thought, truly misplaced. I didn't know what to think about the vision my eyes were conceiving. Was it real, or not?

Abruptly, the "woman" opened one of her eyes. I could only stand and look, amazed, shocked. From her eye orbit, there was no regular, human eye… there was only light. A yellow, shiny glow, meeting my stare as intensely as a human gaze. And then, only by looking back at its shine, I knew she was looking at me. I knew she wanted my attention. I knew she wanted me… to follow her.

I felt a shiver running all over me. I was scared.

Unexpectedly, the female form moved, disappearing from my sight. I stood there for a couple of seconds more.

_Where did she go_?

And, without even considering what I was doing, I followed her. My legs had a mind of its own, my body ached for her stare, for her alien influence. I leaped into the darkness that seemed so frightening to me before, only to conclude there was absolutely nothing to be afraid of, in there. It was only a cape of thin air, bathed with the absence of light.

I walked around those corridors, following her presence. Occasionally, I was able to see the limits of her bright hair, as waves in the air calling for me, guiding me to… her.

Then, finally, I reached a door. The mysterious, levitating woman with the powerful stare was nowhere to be seen. I looked around, there was nothing...

That door in front of me. What was it? Where did it lead?

My hands moved, once again, grabbing the handle. With a swift movement, I opened the door. There was light inside. That door lead… to the bottom pit of the reactor. It was a huge place, surrounded with large columns and other elements I didn't know made part of the very foundation of a reactor itself. I looked up, and all I could see was… black, again.

There was a dim light across the base of that place. I looked around, stepping inside that place. It made me shiver, it was cold inside that place.

And then, my eye caught something.

Not moving, not levitating… Only laid at the floor, static, unmoving, there was someone.

A man.

I bugged my eyes at what I saw. A huge, tall man, dressed in black, with a dark coat and long hair… grey hair, lay at his right side, with his eyes closed, his hands and arms grabbing something that already seemed to disintegrate, a form of a head, partially destroyed, with a texture similar to… ash, or extremely fine sand.

He seemed to be sleeping a profound sleep, unaware of the surroundings, unaware of what had been happening lately… just like me. A sharper look at the closest surroundings made me spot a sword. Enormous, huge, just like… him. Well it did fit him, that was for sure… I was almost certain it was _his_.

I stood, once more, for some brief minutes, looking at this strange man resting at the foundation of the reactor, without knowing what to think.

_What should I do? Where is that levitating woman of before_?

And then, my mind processed the most simple, yet bizarre judgment.

_Why did she guide me here_?

However, this time, no answer came.

**So, what do you think? Do you like it? Well I enjoyed immensely writing it so… I hope you do to! Please, read and review! Can't wait to check on your opinions :) **

**Next chapter… I'll post it sooner than you might think! **


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: My inspiration has been running wild lately. There you go, another chapter. Hope you like it. **

**Disclaimer: As always.**

_**Last chapter**__… _

_II stood, once more, for some brief minutes, looking at this strange man resting at the foundation of the reactor, without knowing what to think. _

_What should I do? Where is that levitating woman of before? _

_And then, my mind processed the most simple, yet bizarre judgment._

"_Why did she guide me here?"_

_However, this time, no answer came._

_**Chapter 2**_.

I felt frozen in time and space for a while.

What was I suppose to do? Now that I had found someone in this place, what should I do? What the hell…? Did I dream, or something? I was pretty sure I had seen a woman, that strange levitating thing calling me… in my mind. _Argh_, this was so weird. And now, she was nowhere to be seen. I was only able to conclude she – definitely – had guided me to this specific place, to find this… sleeping man, for some cosmic reason I did not dare to think about. The fact was that I had found him and now… I didn't know what to do. My mind was a complete haze.

_Get a grip, Sora_. My mind alerted. _Focus_.

Yes, yes, I wanted to focus but… I was somehow afraid that my curiosity would screw me up. Should I approach him? Should I confirm he was alive or… not? This situation simply wasn't _normal_. How can someone end up laid down in a bottom of a silent reactor, closed for what seemed to be a week?

Finally, my body seemed to have the impetus of moving. Careful, I approached the sleeping man, positioning myself in front of them. I examined him from far. His chest movements were a clear sign he was alive – breathing; there was no blood on him, at least I couldn't see any. His hands, covered with thick leather gloves, matched his strange uniform, black. I could say the same about his boots and… undergarments. Well the man was very fond of black, that was for sure. His hair was something, though… it was larger than mine! How come a nowadays man stand such hair length? And the color… grey? Ah, bizarre, to say the least. His skin was almost as pale as his hair. But his face was definitely the main feature of all: the face was extremely fair, but held a rather diabolic trace around his complexion, something… alien. This man simply wasn't… regular, I could tell only by looking at the perfection his face exhibited. His nose, the curvy lips, the form of his eyes, the perfect shaped eyebrows. Even the way his facial bones protruded, allowed me to conceive the most absolutely faultless masculine face I had ever seen in life.

Nonetheless, there was something strange about him. Somehow, he did not transparent anything… pleasant… on the contrary.

Reflexively, I let my index finger touch his shoulder, covered with some distinct silver shoulder pad. He did not react, he did not cringe. No reaction at all.

_This is the weirdest thing I've ever seen_... My mind concluded, nodding to myself.

I looked at him once more. His eyes, decorated with extremely long eye-lashes – way much nicer than mine, by the way… - remained closed, and I had to fight the impulse of opening one of his eyes to see what was behind those eye-lids.

_Oh, please, Sora. You'll find an eye-ball, duh_! My mind mocked at myself. O.k, I was being paranoid. Of course I would find an eye-ball. A regular, rounded eye-ball, inside an orbit – that was it!

Looking at my right side, I focused now at the dark grey mass next to his abdomen, partially covered with his left hand and arm. It gave the sensation he was grabbing something before hitting the ground. But, however, the thing he supposedly was grabbing was now… destroyed. It seemed to me it was made of sand… or an ash face mask of some kind, its original shape already lost. It seemed like a head, to me. But… I didn't know exactly. I wasn't capable of discerning what on Earth was that thing that man was holding with such… fervor.

I sighed, lost in thought, again. What was I suppose to do, for Christ' sake?

I scrutinized that man again, from head to toe.

_Should I leave him here or… what_?

O.k, my mind was completely lost…. Again. I had to focus, come on. What were my options?

One, I could leave the man here and… next week someone would find him… my supervisor, the next on the line to check on maintenance, whatever.

Two, I could take him from here and alert the authorities. After all, I didn't know _who_ he was. He could be military… he could be… anybody, I had never seen anyone around with this… dressing style. Usually the military had a very specific uniform and… their hair wasn't this… weird. Not to mention that long. No one at the military would be allowed to wear such long hair. No, he couldn't be military, not Shinra, definitely.

Not to mention the creepiness of that humongous sword. What the hell was _that_? Were we at the medieval age, or something?

"Oh, what a mess! Why did it have to be me? Why me, from the entire world, to find this man!" I declared to myself, in a low tone.

I did not expect an answer. I was just opening my heart to the bottom of a reactor, sharing my worries with the masculine version of sleeping beauty. However, something did answer me, from the darkness above.

"You are his deliverance."

The voice was ethereal, feminine. If I wasn't so wide awake, I would swear I was dreaming about heaven… or hell. I felt an immediate shiver up my spine, not daring to look up, at the direction that voice came from. It was her, the floating woman with the glowing eye – I was sure of it, a certain as true as… I, being in this place, right here, right now, listening to a talking specter.

"Deliverance?..." I mouthed, not understanding what did that mean, after all. How could I deliver anything, to anyone… from anyone? This was insane! I was just a maintenance technique, a runaway for five years, given circumstances of life. I barely could take care of myself and now… No, I must be going crazy. That or… the Shinra scientists must have been doing some pretty shitty experiments around here. Maybe they had released some untested gas around the place. Yes, it was a good theory. Labs were in the upper levels of the reactor, who knows what they were doing in there? No, I was not listening to this voic-

"Stop whining and hurry." The ethereal voice commanded, earning my attention. As a response, I was only able of bugging my eyes and… gulp, undecided. "Take him and hide him, as you have been hiding yourself these years."

I breathed a sharp intake of air, shocked at what my ears offered me. How did a ghost know so much about me and about what I was doing… about what I did? My heart beat started to become audible in my ears. O.k, I was completely appalled. My mouth, semi-opened, did not have words to offer. There was nothing I was able to verbalize. The only thing I could do was… obey her?

I glanced at the sleeping masculine form in front of me, not a meter away. So absent, so unaware… what was he? Who was he? Why did he have a creepy feminine specter caring for his integrity?

_Oh, fuck_…

I know, that was a rather simple thought. But there was nothing more my brain was able to process. I had to do this. I had to take this man and hide inside my house because a freaking specter ordered me to it. Was this even real?

I stepped, hesitating. Fuck, I did _not_ have to do this. I did not have to submit myself to this… thing. I had enough problems of my own, I didn't need one more… no, definitely I was not doing this.

Reflexively, I stepped back. I had to leave this place right now.

_Go, Sora, go. Now_. My mind ordered.

However, I did not have much more time to think about anything else, because that feminine presence from above stopped me right away.

"Do it."

_Oh-uh_. She was mad. Her tone revealed annoyance and command, at the same time. Ok, what did she want me to do? To run away, as my inner self desired, or… to do what she wanted me to?

"Save him, you will not regret your option." Her voice was so close to me. I had the feeling she was standing right behind me, towering me, threatening me with soft words, taking advantage of the knowledge she possessed of my life, details I had kept to myself, hidden in my grieving soul. My God, what was this woman, after all?

My breathing was now audible. I was scared, I did not know why she was making me to do this. Why? Why rescuing him was so damn important?

"Because, Sora…" I heard her say, answering my mental question "…he is not the only one that needs salvation."

My will froze at that very moment. I needed salvation? Since when? And he, also? What?... what was this, for God' sake? I was so confused, I was at the verge of crying. What was I into? In the bottom of a reactor, talking to a mind-reading specter, forced to rescue a strange man… was this even real? Was this even happening to me?

I thought things couldn't get any worst… but in fact, they could. Paralyzed as I felt, I did not have the courage to move. I just stood there, facing the expressionless face the quiescent man offered me, while the specter behind me kept on scrutinizing me, invading my mind, confusing my poor self-control… and then, all of the sudden, I felt something in my shoulders… both my shoulders.

It was a touch, warm, tingling… different, alien. It was so amazingly comforting and yet, so frightening. I felt her hands, her fingers, covering easily my modest shoulders, reassuring her position… and mine, as well.

"You will not regret." She reinforced her perspective, her voice right behind my left ear. However, my mouth did the unthinkable.

"Why?" I breathed, with no strength left for more. Ghost or not, she was really persuasive. She seemed to know exactly how to ease my doubts, the exact words to say for me to do what she wanted me to do.

"I told you already… but you will come to that conclusion for yourself." Her melodic voice was now extremely serious. "Do you remember, Sora? Do you remember the promise you made five years ago, when you laid in the ground, hurt and crushed, submitted to a madman's perversion?"

I felt a shiver, the memories of that exact moment of my life popping up in my mind, as a movie, repeating itself, over and over, and over again. I was not able to say a word.

"Do you?" She insisted. She really wanted me to say something.

"Yes…" I breathed, not able of moving, feeling her presence so close to me, invading my space… it was simply disturbing.

"Then all you have to do is uphold that promise."

And, so suddenly, her presence faded away, like a soft breeze, her alien touch leaving my shoulders, her strange influence disappearing from behind me.

I stood, for a couple of seconds, hesitating. However I would hesitate for the last time, because the most overwhelming sensation ever would sweep over me, little by little. I felt something… someone, within me, making way thought me, tearing virtually my flesh, separating my cells, invading my earthly body as I was a rag doll. I felt… her, the essence and the intensity of that woman's haze consuming me, while she passed through me, slowly, without mercy, forcing me to sense her consistence, her determination, her desires. It was simply crushing.

When she finally went across me, she stood, in front of me, emanating power, presence… divinity. Her glowing eye focused on my stare, alerting me of my new responsibility. It was then, I knew… I had no chance but to do what she asked of me. I had to save that man and take him to captivity… into my own form of confinement, in which I lived for five years and counting.

Her fair face remained still, while her form started to lose definition. This specter was becoming more transparent, as seconds passed, until she disappeared completely, in front of my eyes, the yellow shine of her stare being the last thing to fade… away.

Finally, I was there… all alone with that man, again. She, the omnipotent know-it-all ghost… was gone. I felt her nonexistence. I felt her absence.

I blinked a couple of times. My will was restored, somehow. There was a vitality I did not know I possessed inside me, guiding me to what I had to do right now: to get this man and get the hell out of here.

With determined footsteps, I reached his resting form. I grabbed his anarchic hair, and arranged it inside his coat. So much hair would only get in the way. My hands reached for the sword not two meters away and, with difficulty, I set it next to him. O.k., I had to get this huge man out of here, right away.

After two or three failed attempts of getting him sit down, I realized I wouldn't be able of carrying him next to me, with one arm in my shoulder, simply because he was… heavy as hell. I would have to drag him somehow, I did not have a chance. I positioned up the collar of his coat, in order to protect his head and hair. I buttoned all the length of the coat, as well. And, without hesitating, I grabbed that massive man beneath his arms and dragged him out of that place.

**I would enjoy very much… reviews, please. It makes me kind of discouraged not having feedback from anybody :( But… anyway, thank you for reading and do not mind commenting. Take your time leaving your remark, suggestion, whatever. Your opinion will be much appreciated.**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to those (even if it's only one person…) who reviewed my story. To all interested in this story, enjoy your reading***

**Disclaimer: As always.**

_**Last chapter**__… _

…_And, without hesitating, I grabbed that massive man beneath his arms and dragged him out of that place. _

_**Chapter 3**_.

It took me a consistent half an hour to get to the car. Not only because dragging that man was terribly difficult, I had to stop the process a couple of times to regain strength (and breath) to continue. His head pended a bit, and I was a little bit fearful of dislocating his arms or something. I mean, I wasn't used to do this, anyway.

Once I got to the car, the procedure revealed itself even trickier. How would I get this person into the back seat of my vehicle? I ran my fingers through my hair a couple of times.

_O.k, focus, Sora_.

After taking my time thinking about it, I considered it would be better for me to sit him first, his back against the car, door already open and, then, with me on my knees in the back seat, pull him inside, grabbing him again under his arm pits.

By then my face was completely buried in his left shoulder, contacting unintentionally with his face, left ear and hair. His face remained unresponsive, mouth slightly open, eyes shut and his Adam-apple became now prominent, an obvious detail in his long neck. It was a disturbing contact, touching this man. Although I knew I wasn't doing it on purpose – come on, I had to get him inside the car somehow! –, his smell was… disconcerting. It was masculine, yet it held something that reminded me the essence of that volatile specter. It was there, very very diluted in between the steel and leather, mangled all together. Meantime his face remained quiet, since the beginning. Honestly, I started considering he was in a coma or something. It had to be… I mean, someone drowned in such a profound sleep simply wasn't… normal.

Oh, hell. Nothing of this was normal. Not the situation, not what did just happen inside that reactor… this was amazingly bizarre – all of it.

Three attempts later, I managed to get the man laid down inside the car, positioning his limbs in a way it would allow me to get the car door shut. It was not easy, given his… size.

To end with, after struggling for fifteen minutes with the abnormal huge sized sword, I got it inside the car. Don't ask me how, but I did so.

When I finally sat at the drivers' seat, I felt exhausted. I looked around me, the place was completely deserted. It was night time already and there was no moon to allow any residual visibility. _Nothing_. Tonight, the sky was painted pitch black.

Driving at the speed limit back home, I started considering my options.

Glancing at the sleeping man laid in the back seat, with some of his hair covering partially his face, I started worrying about… what would happen when – eventually – he would awake from his uncommon slumber. Who was he anyway and why was he so important so save – important enough to have a damn good-looking ghost protecting his integrity in such a weird place as a reactor foundation.

Distracted with the occasional cars that passed by me, I could only hope not to find anyone in my way home, because something inside me was alerting me this man… wasn't simply a regular guy. I mean, only by looking at him, it was obvious he was all but normal… from his face to his toe. Not to mention his fashion style, that was absolutely… freaky, with the leather and the sword and all. God, even his pants were made of leather. Coat, pants, boots… I wondered if his underwear had leather in it, too.

Reflexively I giggled, at the image of someone like _him_ wearing leather drawers. As a response, my mind chastised myself at that right moment.

_Ok., Sora, stop that, this is everything but funny_.

And I was right – this wasn't a bit funny. My face immediately recoiled to the initial seriousness.

I couldn't wait to get home.

Once I reached my neighborhood, I shifted to a super-aware eye-surveying mode. It was inevitable. I had an unconscious person inside my car and I had to get it inside my apartment without getting noticed. Thank God I had rented my apartment with a garage - a very private, hidden garage, with a communicating door to the building itself.

My apartment was at the second floor. 2A, to be exact. However the first problem was that the elevator was out of order and, second, in the first floor lived a very curious old lady, whose main problem was… the extra free time she had to peek at someone's business like an outrageous aged hag. She wasn't a bad person but hey… her constant meddling was something I needed to avoid, at least for now.

With my car inside the garage, the huge metallic door now closed, I eyed once more the heavy-weight man I would have to drag – again… -, this time, into my apartment.

I let out a heavy sigh and exited the vehicle.

_O.k,, the faster I do this, the better_.

First I had to re-arrange his hair inside his coat again, because with all the trepidation inside the car, almost all of his hair was… a messy grey gathering of some sort.

His hair was the softest thing I had ever touched. How could this be even possible? Pfff, a _man_, with such… hair smoothness? It was obviously softer than mine. I did not imagine him as someone providing extra-care with his hair. No, far from that. High hair care did not match so many leather.

Anyway, this guy was a mystery – at any level.

With ease, I removed him out of my back seat and I let him rest on the ground for some time, while I checked the car doors and the garage door as well. Everything was closed, we were safe from outside surprises.

_O.k, now, the hardest part_.

I breathed in and out a couple times to gain courage to get the mystery man up as fast as I could. I had to be quick.

In one fast movement, I grabbed him – once more beneath his arms – and pulled him next to me, dragging him in the process, going up the stairs as fast as my body allowed. However, it was not easy – as expected. His dead weight (literally) was almost unbearable and my legs were starting to break in the process, right next to the first floor.

_Oh, no, Sora. Not next to the old hag door. Get some strength girl_…

My mind tried to cheer me up, with success – thank God. I did some extra effort and I went upstairs with a speed I did not imagine possible. Tomorrow I would not feel my legs – and arms –, certainly. I was not this used to such intense muscular exercise.

His legs would certainly reflect my hurry, as well. The hard stairs weren't merciful with his floppy appendages. And I wasn't able to carry the guy princess-style, so…

_Sorry about that, mister_.

With haste, I opened the door and I dragged him quickly inside my apartment. He rested a while at the empty hall, laid down as comatose as ever.

I needed to prepare the room where I was going to let him stay. Thankfully, I had a spare room I rarely used. The room had simply a bed, and the plainest rented furniture with it. When I was looking for an apartment to rent, this one was the simplest I had found, acceptable price. It had two rooms, two bathrooms, a living room and a kitchen. Obviously, I used only one room, the other had been closed since the first day I stepped into this house.

I searched for clean sheets, blankets and a pillow. Quickly, I prepared the bedroom for the stranger I had abandoned in the hall and I switched on the heater for a while, because the bedroom was simply… freezing, giving the lack of usage.

Patiently, I dragged – again… - the man into the recently prepared bedroom. With difficulty, I was capable of putting him in the bed.

O.k, now came the terrible part of… undressing the man.

I immediately blushed at such innocent thinking. But… I had to do it. I wasn't going to get him inside a clean bed with those… clothes.

I stood still for a while, without knowing what to do. Should I…? or… not? Oh, what the hell, this was my house, my rules. And I wasn't going to allow someone going to bed clothed with stinky leather.

With determination flowing in my arms, I approached him. I started taking off his boots, and then unbuttoned his coat, what took a considerate amount of time. One arm off, than the other. Once the coat was off, I felt mesmerized seeing how built this man was. This guy was simply muscle, all over. No adiposity whatsoever. His feet were enormous, proportionate to himself, and he wore simple black stockings, items that I removed as well.

Now his hair was anarchically disposed all around his head, next to his shoulders and part of his thorax. The softness of it remained the same – alien, strange… unlikely to anything I had ever seen and touched.

Now, came the part where I had to remove… his pants. And he had that weird things that reminded me of… braces, which came out of his pants and made its way up his chest, cross-like. Well I had to start with something. With delicacy (and slightly trembling hands), I removed those leather stripes and started pulling his pants off. While I was doing it, my mind was only whishing hard he had the decency of having underwear. Oh God, if he did not have any underwear I would… stop the process, definitely.

However, only a couple of seconds later I was able to conclude I had nothing to worry about. Yes, he was wearing underwear… and it was not leather. It was simply cotton, most likely with stretching capacity, considering the way it adjusted to his… hum… well, body, in general.

Finally, his pants were off and rapidly, I put all his clothes in the empty closet the room had available. Now, away from him, I was able of taking a good look at this guy.

His body was simply brutal. He did work it out, for sure – no one had such a tonus and definition without working out (a lot) his body. Well… the theory about him being a military was now very feasible. And… his hands, were huge. The hair…, his face, his complexion.

This guy was a complete personification of the _sleeping beauty_… male version. The only thing I did not perceive was his eye-color. But hey, I wasn't going to explore it, neither.

I approached him, covering him with the sheets and covers, touching his front. He was warm, tepid. Not burning with fever, no ice cold… simply temperate.

_Even in this, he is so out of the ordinary_.

I couldn't help but to think, once again, about the situation I was in… and he was in, also.

Involuntarily, I arranged his hair and his head in the pillow, positioning him the way I considered the most comfortable. And finally, I looked at him one last time before I left the room, hoping I would not regret the decision I had made.

After calling my supervisor informing him everything was fine – considering my job duties – I went to my own room, my mind immersed in thought.

It was early – close to ten p.m. – and the adrenaline inside me was pumping. I felt somehow frightened. I had brought a stranger inside my house, I had undressed him and… what next?

Well I did not know what to do. The truth was too overwhelming to be real.

A talking specter, the guy sleeping – this was a fucking nightmare!

I sighed, trying to think straight.

_O.k., so you did this. There is no turning back now. You can handle it, Sora, you did handle with much worse_.

It was true. I did have handled with a lot worse than having a comatose stranger sharing a roof with me. So, I was going to face it, like a grown-up woman, and that was it.

_There is no turning back_, my mind remembered.

So, that night I did what I did every night.

I prepared my meals for the next day, considering the extra presence I had at my place right now. I cleaned the bathroom for my recent guest.

And I went to bed and locked myself there, although I had the feeling that a simple locker would not stop him, if he wanted to invade any room of this apartment.

Well at least I had left his sword inside the car, just in case. There was no way I was going to arm him with such lethal thing, inside my house.

With my pajamas on, I switched off the heater and I went to take one last look at the next bedroom. Silently, I opened the door and peeked. He was still sleeping, exactly in the same position I had left him a couple hours ago. The window was closed, with the blinds semi-open, but the dark surrounded us, completely.

I had the feeling he was not going to wake up, soon.

Discreetly, I shut the door and returned to my own room, locking the door behind me. I let myself slide into the warmth my sheets and blankets provided and tried to calm my mind, apparently with no success.

My sleep and rest would be scarce, tonight.

-/-

As expected, my sleep was restless - not only that night but the following, as well.

Two days and night passed and I was starting to worry. The mystery man did not awake, nor moved.

I tried to keep myself busy while time passed – too slowly for my liking.

I went shopping. The man needed clothes, at least the basic stuff. A couple of t-shirts, a pair of trousers… underwear and some warm blouse, I guess. I did not know what his clothing size was so… I found some tape-measure and I did take his measures. I know, it was pitiable but… what could I do instead?

And, of course, I got him the basics for hygiene. Well he could be a total mystery to me but hey, the last thing I wanted was someone stinking and looking gross – what I doubted completely, since the guy was so… good-looking. At least he looked pretty nice when he was sleeping.

So, after a long afternoon of shopping of all sorts, I got home with my arms full of bags and food.

I had developed the recent habit of getting home and – the first thing I did was… go to check on him, only to find the man exactly in the same position, sleeping, as usual.

It was somehow unbelievable to me that someone was able to sleep so much time without… drinking, eating, you know, the physiological needs of humans. But no, not this guy. He appeared to be in some sort of stasis, as if he was trapped in time or something.

_So damn freaking bizarre_.

Well, since my silent guest was still – as usual – I went on doing my routine stuff at my apartment. I took my time preparing dinner, arranging my bedroom and then, finally, when I had nothing else to do… I went to place the things I had bought to my guest in its proper place. First, I placed the hygiene items in the bathroom I did not used, the one I had reserved for his usage and that was still unexploited. Second, I went to put his clothes in place. Silently, I entered the room, only to be confronted with that same motionless image, again.

The sun was setting, I concluded only by looking outside the half-open blinds. Next to the closet, I started depositing there the clothes I had bought. The majority was black or dark grey in color. I did not imagine the guy wearing green or yellow shirt.

_No, definitely not_… my mind laughed, picturing the man with such garments.

Faster than I expected, I was done in his room. I closed the closet doors quietly and glanced at the man one more time.

_Why doesn't he wake up already_?

My impatient mind couldn't help but to think about him awake. Honestly, so much sleeping was now tormenting me.

I approached the bed and sat, next to him, a small place available in the mattress, close to where his legs were resting. He remained as always, unmoving.

_What do I do if you don't wake up_?

I glanced at his face, still and defined as marble.

I moved my glance to my fingers, entwined nervously and then, to the door, that stood a couple of meters ahead of me.

_Please, wake up_… My mind pleaded, my heart beating fast while my mental voice vocalized those words.

Reflexively, I glanced at him one more time.

However, this time, I did not find his face still and his eyes closed. Instead, I found a gaze locked in my own, a green-eye stare scrutinizing me and sending shivers up my spine as I let him invade me, my mind, my soul. I did not have time to move. I did not have time to speak. I only felt the touch of a callous, hard hand in my neck and throat, as I felt my back hit the closest wall available, a cry of pain leaving my mouth.

**o_O**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Enjoy your reading everybody* **_**Please, Review! I am so curious about your opinions!**_

**Oh and, btw, this chapter is shorter than I expected. The action is going slow (and a tad "boring", with so much introspection) but I need to get some events described before things start to heat up. The context is everything, and there are crucial moments yet to be explored. I can only hope for you – who (I hope) are enjoying the reading - to keep on following the plot. However, one thing for sure I guarantee to all of you: Sephiroth will remain as we remember him… cold as ice, enigmatic and… unpredictable.**

**And of course, a very special thanks to **_**TehGreatNinjaVen**_** and to **_**merlinshore**_** for the reviews. You made my day :) I can only hope you keep enjoying the plot. You are always welcome to review and comment as you like. **

**Also, my sincere thanks to **_**merlinshore**_** and **_**Python3921**_** for the fav's, as well as to **_**TehGreatNinjaVen**_**, **_**Python3921**_** and **_**Stoccarda**_** for the Alerts. **

**Disclaimer: As always.**

_**Last chapter**__… _

… _I found a gaze locked in my own, a green-eye stare scrutinizing me and sending shivers up my spine as I let him invade me, my mind, my soul. I did not have time to move. I did not have time to speak. I only felt the touch of a callous, hard hand in my neck and throat, as I felt my back hit the closest wall available, a cry of pain leaving my mouth. _

_**Chapter 4**_.

I did not have time to realize what was truly happening. Last I knew, I was glued to the wall, my back aching terribly, a huge hand compressing my throat, lifting me up to the level… of his face. I hadn't been capable of following such quick moves. One second, he was laid down, asleep, as usual. In a blink, his eyes locked in mine and he got up from the bed, swift, fast as a lightning, grabbing my throat, compelling me to the closest wall.

My eyes were bugged, popped open. It had been the surprise, the rush, the situation itself. And, of course, the breathing difficulties. This man was huge, menacing… definitely dangerous. He stood still, separated from me at a distance of an arm's length – his right arm length -, in his black innocent underwear. If it wasn't for the circumstance (and, at some point, the oxygen deprival) I could only look at him, mesmerized. The man looked like a CK underwear model… a very lunatic and disturbed one, however he still looked… gorgeous.

However my mind wasn't capable of proceeding with such primitive thoughts. I really thought he was going to kill me, to strangle me. I stared at this face, somehow distorted with anger. His face… his hair… reminded me somehow the volatility of that weird, alien specter - the same freaking specter that had talked me into getting a fucking lunatic inside my house. However, his eyes were the most disturbing feature. Green, cat-like pupils. It was the most weird… and scary thing I had ever seen.

"Who are you?" He demanded, his gaze still locked in mine, since the beginning. Not a second passed and his hard, manly voice yelled at me, once more. "Answer me!"

My hands were now at his wrist, trying to ease up the pressure he was applying. Man, I wouldn't be able to say a word like this, basically hanged up by my own throat!

As a response, I was only able to cough fragilely, my own name.

"Sora…"

"Who?" He asked again, half-closing his eyes, clearly not recognizing me. I was able to see in his eyes, that he was, somehow, as lost as I was.

"I can't… speak…" I cough, once more. This time the man appeared to have some brain mass working and he did release me abruptly. My weight almost gave in with the movement, but thankfully my leg muscles did work and I remained standing… however next to the wall, so close to it that it gave the impression of me wanting to go through it, literally. Despair and fear did these things to an already emotionally unbalanced woman such as myself.

I stood, with my eyes leveled with his chest. I had to look up (and up) to meet his gaze, to find it already on me, already, questioning… doubting… scrutinizing me offensively.

"I'm Sora." I said, my voice week, avoiding his stare constantly. It was so disturbing to look into those… eyes. "I found you unconscient at the bottom of the reactor."

"What?" He asked, a tone revealing his complete lack of belief in my humble words.

"It's true. You laid there, asleep. I-I am a maintenance technique and I was there to check things up, because the reactor was shut down some days ago… military reasons, I guess. I don't know the details, I just worked there." Ok, I knew my speech was weak and… idiotic, but it was the best I could offer to him, given the circumstances.

"I was at the reactor?" He asked, his face as unreadable as before.

"Yes… "

My answer was week, but truth. And I saw, somehow, recognition in his own stare. I wasn't capable of saying a word. I just look at him, my eyes slightly unfocused by his unaware indecency. My blushing gaze caught some details of his body I did not pay attention to, when I had removed his clothes, not 48 hours from here. There was a small mark, it looked like a slight scar, at his abdomen. What, scars now? Oh, my God. Who did I bring home, after all? A serial killer… a psychopath?

"How can it be… even possible…" His voice now interrupted my thought. His stare was vacant, filled with questioning. For a brief second, I was able to feel sorry for the confused man I had in front of me.

"I don't know… I just… " I said, trying to justify myself and my attitude. "…brought you here."

"Why?" He immediately reacted.

It was a good question. I knew why, although. _Well she told me to_., my mind thought at once. But I couldn't say that to him. He wouldn't believe me. The way that specter had impelled me into doing something I did not dream of was just… disturbing. Not to mention the memories she brought up from my past, only by using those taunting words.

"I don't leave someone abandoned, needing help." I stated, remembering too well the moment I had made that exact promise, five years ago.

"Who told you I needed help?"

Damn. He sure was rude… not to mention extremely arrogant. Who the hell did he think he was? Superman?

"Would you prefer to have been left to rot in there?" I declared. "You can go back there anytime."

To my surprise, I hear him laugh weakly. I just couldn't believe he was just mocking me. How dare he? That… super sized… long-haired weirdo with freaky eyes?

"You do not know who I am…"

I felt suddenly worried when I heard his statement. What on Earth did _that_ mean? Was I supposed to know who he was? O.k, this was disconcerting.

"No… " I confessed, looking back at him.

"You'd better not know, anyway."

What? Was the man insane? I wanted to know! More than that, I had the right to know! I had saved his ass, for… for whatever'sake!

_Say it Sora, say it. Make your demanding_! O.k, my mind was way to bossy. I wanted to ask him, though… there was something that prevented me from doing it. It was like an inner force that prevented any word from leaving my mouth.

"Leave me alone."

Wow, talking about being demanding. My face must have reflected the surprised I felt when I processed his last words. He wanted to be left alone. He wanted me to leave the room he was in, in my own house. God, what a bad-mannered guest I had brought under my roof.

However I did not say a word, I did not react abruptly, demanding a good justification to all this…, I did not make a move, as I would have liked to. Instead, I merely left, closing the door behind me, leaving the man with stunning underwear appearance alone.

Back in the hall of my silenced apartment, I felt a shiver running up my spine, as my mind processed the simplest thinking of all:

_What have I done_?

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

After locking myself in my bedroom seconds after my guest ordered me out, I found very hard to conceal some sleep, that night.

The man was simply frightening. Remembering his stare, I recognized that look of… insanity. He had something loose up in his head, for sure. I didn't know what it was… and I did not want to find out, honestly.

He wanted to be left alone? Great. So did I.

His absence was not that difficult to notice. Bit by bit, as hours and days went by, I started realizing the man did not leave his room, except occasionally, to go to the bathroom and … to eat. I simply avoided any eventuality of… seeing him.

Two days passed and I did not know if he was dead or alive. Mostly, I spent my days out, or at the kitchen, or in my bedroom. Locked, of course. I left his meals at the refrigerator, ready to eat. I left short telegram-like messages in the bathroom warning him of the laundry schedules. I did not need to see him, I did not want to remember his terrible face, again.

The only reminder I had of his presence was the empty dishes, the smell of hot water and soap in the bathroom, the handling the towels revealed. He mostly used my absence to make his appearances, certainly. However I knew he did not wanted to face me. Everytime I was at the apartment, he remained silent as the dead, almost making me forgot he was actually… living there, with me.

Four days passed since his awakening. I walked down the street, without knowing where else to go, which streets to walk. It was getting dark already and I… did not have any more stores to explore, no more places to visit… no more libraries to spend time at.

I walked, lazily, towards my apartment. What would I get today? Another no-show? Yes, most likely. _Argh_, I couldn't wait for him to leave. He could leave whenever he wanted. That would happen eventually, right?

_Please, please, just go away.._. My mind, inevitably, begged for the unreachable.

However, as soon as my home-keys opened the door, the only thing my focus was capable of grasping was… the vision of that man standing, as quiet as a ghost, at the end of the hall, right next to his bedroom door. And the worst part… he was looking at me – intently. It was like he already knew when I was getting home. Well, most probably, he did. I was very constant with my schedules.

"Evening." I said, my voice weaker than I expected, as I closed the door behind me. I disengaged my stare from his and I made my way to the kitchen. I had to get something to do, fast. I could only hope he had already returned to his room when I-

"Was I alone?"

His voice startled me, mainly given his proximity. I did not hear him approach, I did not hear him get… so close to me, as I held with excessive strength the refrigerator handle.

"Excuse me?"

"When you found me. Was I alone?"

His voice was calmer, his face less threatening. And he wore the clothes I had bought him, however his feet were bare, enormous next to mine. I had to make an extreme effort to concentrate and to remember what had exactly happened when I had found him.

"Well, you seemed to be holding something in your hands."

He looked at me with an untrusting facial expression.

"Explain yourself."

And there we go with the orders. What was his previous occupation anyway? Definitely, the theory of him being military seemed to me now the only one available to fit in his behavior.

"Something… I couldn't guess what it was. It had disintegrated or something. It looked like ash… or extremely fine sand."

"What was it like?"

"A… head-shaped form, I guess. Something rounded. I don't know."

"And what else?"

O.k. I did not know what to say to him, right now. There was nothing else, except for the ash-thing and… the specter… and the huge sword. Two long seconds passed. No, there was no way I was going to tell him about the specter… and much less about the sword… that specific item remained in my garage, by the way.

"Nothing else." I declared, my tone firm. But he did not respond or made any other questions.

For some endless seconds, I thought he was going to stand in there like a freaking statue, watching me make dinner and get groceries out of the shelves, as if his eyes were burning holes in my back. The perspective I picked though the corner of my eye was simply unsettling.

Then, when I though the silence couldn't have become thicker, he talked.

"Thank you for the clothes."

"You're welcome."

My answer was automatic, without even looking at him. And, as quick as my words, he disappeared from my kitchen and went straight to his room. The last thing I heard was the door closing. Not locked. Of course. He did not fear anybody. I, instead, couldn't conceive the idea of having such an unstable man right next to me.

With a heavy sigh, I felt right away the effects of the adrenalin rush caused by his presence. My hands were shaky, the slight trembling my body experienced was now commencing to subside. With my eyes closed, I was only capable of ask the Divine Providence for some peace of mind... and soul.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Next day was Saturday. I woke up early, to my dismay.

And for an infinite amount of time I remained laid in bed, while I heard raining outside. Probably, it was still night time. The silence that reigned in my apartment was blessing. And that (also) reminded me of my weird unsocial companion I had right next to my bedroom door. I wondered, what he would do all day long, hidden inside the bedroom. Did he introspect, or something? Did he… what? I couldn't conceive anything beyond… the fact that man was simply out of tone with reality. Everything about him was… oh, what the hell. I didn't have words to define it.

I got out of bed, checking the hours. It was seven a.m. _Argh_! It was simply sinful to wake up this early in a Saturday! However my mind had a different opinion – my psyche was… wide awake, alert.

I took my robe and I prepared for my morning shower. I really needed the calm and soothing the hot water in the shower would provide me… to relax my tense muscles of the previous' week stresses.

And, with an automatic movement, I got out of my bedroom, only to find a pair of green-cat eyes staring already at me, as if I had perpetrated a terrible, bloody murder. What the hell was he doing up? Not to mention he was outside his bedroom, staring at me like a freaking psychopath. What, was this guy a mind-reader or something? Did he know when I was awake or asleep? Was he normal?

"What?"

And that was the only word I was capable of saying. There was nothing there in my mind available to verbalize. Nothing at all, except for the vision of that strange, quiet man not a meter from me, with the clothing I had seen him another day with, looking back at me. The silence around us was almost unbearable. I swore I was able to hear myself breathing. What did he want this early, anyway? To chat? No, that was absolutely _not_ an open possibility.

And then, out of nothing, he turned his back to me, returning to his room, closing the door behind him.

_What in the hell did just happen here_? My mind was shocked. I did not understand his actions. This was simply not normal. What was this? I get out of my room, barely awake, and I find this dude looking at me like he knows every detail of my miserable life!

I realized I had bugged my eyes, remembering the awkwardness of the situation, and the day had barely begun.

O.k.

Definitely, today would reveal itself promising.

**A/N – Damn!… Thumbs up for Sephiroth and his… "innocent underwear"… ^_^ … Comments, anybody? Things will get interesting further ahead. Just to inform I will start adding Sephiroth's POV in the plot. After all, Sora isn't the only one with unanswered questions haunting her mind. Stay tuned. I'll try to post next chapter this weekend. Well… some reviews would certainly make me work faster! Will you help me with that? Thank you in advance, dear readers! **


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: And there you have it, another chapter. Hope you like it* Sorry for the delay - there's been having trouble with the site & posting stuff lately... I have this chapter prepared since saturday night - and since then I haven't been able of editing my own story and properties, etc. Well, here it is... at last!:)**

**Very much thanks for those who took your precious time reviewing – yes, **_**merlinshore**_**, this one is dedicated to you! –**** and also a big thanks to **_**The Ninja and the Writer**_** for the suggestions.**

**All of you – interested and dedicated readers - are always welcome to review and comment as you like. **

**Disclaimer: As always.**

_**Last chapter**__… _

_O.k. … Definitely, today would reveal itself promising. _

_**Chapter 5**_.

I went for my morning shower right away, locking myself in the bathroom. I know, this was proving to become a terrible habit. Every place I went, I always checked avidly for the locks… _Argh_. I suspected somehow that man was contaging me with some of that lunacy of him, which seemed to pour from every inch of his complexion.

Once I was inside the bathroom, I started preparing my shower. I got the water running and I removed the pieces of clothing I had in me – namely, my pajama and underwear. Unintentionally, I took a glance of my image in the bathroom mirror. My disheveled wavy, dark brown hair reflected my recent awake, as well as my eyes, which were slightly puffy. The long hair looks I had now were a recent acquisition. I did not cut my hair for the last two years, at least – given my past personal problems. My pallid, colorless face was a reflection of the absence of UV beams, beach and… sunny holidays for some years now. My face and my body though… had hidden marks of the rough treatment I had received from an uncaring bastard I used to call… husband. His extreme behavior one particular night of our not-so-happy shared life led to my runaway and, since then, I did not see him, I did not know anything of him. Basically, he was dead to me. And I could only hope I was too, to him.

My almond brown eyes – in shape and color – hid a lot behind. My common face did help my "blending in", since I had made my way from home, the only place I thought I was safe at. Oh, but I was so wrong. In that place I have thought of _home_, I wasn't safe at all. In that place, I was only living an extremely real nightmare.

Blinking several times, I shook my head, trying not to remember what I - so eagerly – wanted to forget. I was ok now… on my own, so far away from the person who almost took my life, the last night I saw him.

The water was already hot, since a discreet cloud of fog surrounded me already. Very well, it was time to get inside the relaxing hot water. I could only smile at my very own thought.

* * *

_She_ doesn't speak to me.

I did not hear her voice ever since I… killed myself. Yes, I did kill myself. No one would survive such a crash. No one… no one… human.

The only thing I remembered was the green and white light, lingering at the bottom of the reactor, welcoming me with arms right open. And, of course, _her_ voice.

_Mother_. _Why this silence, why punish me with your muted words_?

I couldn't understand several components of my surroundings. Why… how was I alive?

_How did you allow me to keep on living, if I had failed completely my ultimate goal_?

I did what _she_ asked me. I killed, I resumed to ashes what stood in my way. I punished everybody who resisted me, included those under my authority, with pain and death.

_All for you, mother_. _All part of a strategy to free you… and myself as well, my dear mother_.

When I looked around me, I did not recognize anything. There was nothing familiar. I felt somehow transported to another dimension, a strange place where I was… hidden, in this strange place, a space confined in between buildings, meeting occasionally that regular young woman.

What were the odds? How come this random female did find me? How was this possible?

_Why did you abandon me, mother_?

Although I waited, there was no answer. I always kept hoping that _she_ would answer me… but as days passed, I started realizing I wouldn't listen to her voice sooner. It was a feeling, a sensation… a certainty that kept consuming my soul. Hours passed, days blended with nights and hours seemed to pass by as mere minutes. Maybe my attitudes had offended _her_. Maybe the impurity of my being, tainted with human genes, made _her_ resolve otherwise. Maybe… Maybe… I wasn't _her_ prodigal son, after all.

This silence was so deafening. This quiet around me was so disturbing and yet… so… strangely gratifying.

My body ached slightly, most likely due to my prolonged slumber in an uncomfortable position. My mind was still… surprised with the events, as well as the speech of that young woman. Her words were true, I could feel it. But… the content of her words was… appalling. It was difficult for me to accept such raw truth.

_Mother, do not leave me_.

It was pitiful of me, begging like a child. However the memory of _her_ words in my head, ordering me, demanding of me was too much for me to bear. I missed the comfort of _her_ voice, the shelter of _her_ spoken promises. Promises of a dying Earth and the rise of a new one, unspoiled with the presence of inferior beings and a deserved throne for me… and for _her_, to reign, to lead, to dominate. Mother and son, the ones capable of ruling. _Her_ authenticity and my quimerism would provide _us_ our fair place at the universe.

Looking into the void of nothingness, I was only capable of remembering. _Her_ voice, now gone. _Her_ presence, so close and now… completely absent.

_Mother… where did you go_?

Guilt invaded me, occasionally. I wonder… if I had succeeded, what would have happened? If Strife did not have stabbed me, if Fair did not have… attacked me. Blasted subordinates. How did they dare to turn against _me_, their general? My motives were not questionable. My actions were completely justified. My reasons were… obvious, to me.

Reflexively, I closed my eyes, while I let the first rays of light of dawn reach my face, while the only coherent thinking in my head was…

_Mother… I failed you. I failed us. I am truly sorry_.

* * *

The problem with weekends was – basically - the enormous amount of time I had with absolutely nothing to do – at all. About ten a.m. I was already fed up, inside my own bedroom. I had cleaned, I had rearranged the furniture, I had arranged my hair differently – for a change and… I did not receive any call from my supervisor, unfortunelately. After I called him last time, when I had checked the reactor stillness (what reminded me of one of the most awkward episodes in my entire life, such as will manipulating specters and strangely handsome slumbering men) he was the one who was supposed to call me back, letting me know the news of our transfer. Yes, we would have to be transferred to another reactor – eventually. So, for now, all the maintenance fellows were on vacation – whether we wanted to be on vacation, or not.

O.k, I could cook. Or I could go out, to check on… something. Whatever it was, it certainly would be better than staying at home with Mr. weirdo here.

Eventually, I came up with things to be done. There was laundry. There was… cooking, again. It was relaxing.

Silently, I left my own room, and checked for my guest's bathroom. My post-it note was still there, hanging precariously in the tile. I wondered briefly if he had left any clothing in there. And, for my amusement, indeed he did. Two shirts and underwear, basically.

I grabbed them and aimed for the kitchen.

I did left home for a while, after lunch. As always, I left his dose there, in the fridge or next to the table, depending on the hour. I communicated with him through notes - blessing post-its, which prevented uncomfortable dialogues and unwanted confrontation.

I needed to get groceries and some fresh meat… and fish. I wanted to try some new recipe I had picked other day in some random magazine. It was something exotic, with pineapple and peach and béchamel.

My mind lingered in gastronomic fantasies, while I walked through the streets that took part of my familiar neighborhood, for some time now.

When I got home it was still day time. The evening was very pleasant, not excessively cloudy, and held a luminosity I haven't yet seen in winter days as the former had been.

Entering my own apartment with unnecessary quietness, I made my way – immediately - to the kitchen, only to find the discreet marks of my unstable guest. He had eaten, he had done the dishes, he had cleaned the table. Well, at least he wasn't entirely… sexist. In fact, he had already so much negative components about him that one more added to it – the sexism thing – wouldn't be that surprising. Come on, he could be weird, strange, lunatic, psychotic, rude and demanding… but, at least, he did the dishes.

_He is sensitive about something, after all. How comforting_… My mind considered, with irony.

O.k, I had a lot to do. I couldn't waste my precious time thinking about the _sensitivity_ of a wacko anti-social being. Five days had passed and the only thing I was able to recall was harsh words and disturbing stares.

_Oh, to hell with him_.

And with that, I started doing my stuff, forgetting easily the disconcerting effect of _his_ presence, so silent, so dead-still inside his bedroom.

After organizing the groceries and the rest of the things I had bought for the week that followed, I remembered I still had to hang out his clothes. O.k, very well, the hanger was placed outside, next to the kitchen window. I removed his clothes from the washer and I proceeded with it. I could only hope that the nosy hag that lived at the 1B did not-

"Sora, sweetheart, how have you been?"

_Fuck_. I know, it wasn't a very polite thought. However I had been caught in a very compromising situation, not because I was _simply_ hanging out clothes, but because I was hanging out _man clothes_. And the old hag caught right away the disproportionate size of the shirts, as well as the typical male underwear my hands were nervously dealing with right now.

"Fine, Regina, just fine."

My words were feeble, but she did hear me easily.

"I haven't seen you this week. How's been work?"

"As always." I smiled back, while she scrutinized shamelessly the pieces of clothing I held in my hands. Of course she knew those weren't mine, she did see only female clothing hanged out since I moved here. It wouldn't take much time for her to ask me something about it, I was sure of it.

"Are you having visitors, sweetheart?"

And there we go. _Sweetheart, your ass_.

"Yes, yes, I am Regina." I answered with a fake smile. "My brother is visiting me for some days now."

"Oh."

She did not believe me, her disbelief was printed all over her face. And I could almost guess her line of thinking: she thought I was a slutty young woman, who invited men to her apartment and eventually kept them there for indeterminate time.

"Well maybe we could all have dinner one of these days. I have never met anyone from your family, dear Sora."

I felt the blood shamelessly rising to my cheeks, giving away my uneasiness about that particular situation.

"Oh, Regina, thank you, but you won't have to bother with that." I said, while I nervously maneuvered the black piece of underwear that man wore the day I stripped him. O.k, this particular piece of clothing was disturbing me way too much for my liking. "My brother does not handle very well … socializing."

Processing my words and probably concluding I was lying bluntly at her, – which most likely confirmed her previous theory of my slutty personality – the fact was that I could not afford a three-person dinner or a meal of any sort, not with Mr. Weirdo added to the equation. Not only she would realize in a blink of an eye that there was no possible way of _him_ being my brother, but also because I doubted _he_ would be capable of successful socializing.

_Nah, not a chance_.

O.k, I had to justify myself, if I wanted to get rid of her. So… the best thing I could do was… scaring the hell out of her, somehow.

"He has a condition, you know." I said, my fake smile fading. "He just got out of jail and he is still recovering from his drug problem."

And where did I get that from – I don't know, but it worked. Her previous devious, accusing smile faded at the speed of light, and her eyes bugged with shock – to my delight. I had to fight back a laugh, only by looking at her face.

"Oh, Sora, dear, I'm… so sorry. I didn't know…"

_Yeah, that's right you didn't you nosy old woman_!

"It's O.k, Regina, don't worry."

_Just get lost, for God's sake_.

"Best wishes for your brother's recovery, dear."

_Yeah, right_… _dear_.

"Thank you."

"Good night."

"Night."

And then, she disappeared inside her own kitchen, much for my relief.

"It was about time…" I whispered, realizing I was already done with the clothes. I locked the window, shut partially the blinds and started preparing dinner.

It did not takek me much time concocting one of the best meals I had ever tasted. Wow, I was getting better at this. I guess practice was one of the main responsible for my apparent success. Of course, my enthusiasm helped a lot.

The silence around me was strangely disturbing me, tonight. Maybe I needed some…noise. I mean, silence is o.k, I like it pretty much but hey, let's just be balanced here.

Reflexively, I went to my bedroom and I took in my arms the small TV set I had in there. Easily, I transported it to the kitchen and proceeded to the trickiest part of all: tuning in. After some failed efforts, unsuccessful positioning and a terrible reception, I was able of tuning some channel, with a decent audio and image. O.k, it wasn't much but I couldn't afford cable, anyway. The TV was placed in the highest shelf, right next to the refrigerator. Not bad, I could eat and watch the news at the same time. Silently, I closed the kitchen door, hoping that the noise did not wake my guest up or interrupted whatever he was doing – I didn't care, as long as he did not bother me.

Time went by quickly, as news popped up with the recent happenings. It was somehow entertaining, so ear something besides my own thoughts and … disconcerting words from more disconcerting persons.

As I washed the dishes I remembered the announcing of a program that TV station was preparing for almost a week now – a program in which they promised to unravel the truth to the world. The title was "_The hidden truth behind the Nibelheim incident_" and a considering amount of people were participating on it. Shinra President himself was the guest of honor.

_Whoa… this should be interesting._

I sat again at the table, eating a portion of strawberry and chocolate ice cream, as a dessert. The interview started quickly, and all the contributors plus the moderator were cheerfully talking, remembering the dark events at Nibelheim, the lives taken, the flames, and… finally, the unknown happenings inside the reactor.

O.k, this was attention-grabbing. I remained sat, my eyes and ears focused in the TV set, listening as they spoke.

**A/N – So, what did you think? I know it ends abruptly but I had to cut the chapter, it got really big. How about Sephiroth's perspective? I think it's cool! I had a lot of fun writing this, really! And how about Regina, the old lady apparently incapable of **_**not**_** mindind her own business? Priceless, eheh. I can only hope you enjoyed it as well. Don't forget to review! I absolutely adore your reviews – the few I just had made me extremely happy :) as always, do not forget to include any suggestion, critics, etc. Your words are most welcomed!**

**Ok, there is a little something to make you just beg for more…

* * *

**

_**Teaser: a brief glance into the contents of the next chapter…**_

"Now you know the monster you brought home."

His tone was low, dark. I immediately felt the thin hair in my neck react to his cruel, cold words. My eyes closed reflexively, not wanting to believe this was happening. He was crazy, completely insane… and I was there, trapped against him, without having a clue about what he wanted to do to me.

_Please don't kill me_.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: This one… rocks! [Go Sephiroth – just be yourself!] **

**Enormous thanks to **_**The Ninja and The Writer**_** and to **_**Ikuni Hattori**_** for their amazing reviews. Hattori, also very much _arigato_ for the Fav and the Alert. You guys are the best:) Thank you for taking your precious time commenting and making my day. **

**To everybody, as always, enjoy your reading***

**Disclaimer: As always.**

_**Last chapter:**_

_Whoa… this should be interesting._

_I sat again at the table, eating a portion of strawberry and chocolate ice cream. The interview started quickly, and all the contributors plus the moderator were cheerfully talking, remembering the dark events at Nibelheim, the lives taken, the flames, and… finally, the unknown happenings inside the reactor._

_O.k, this was attention-grabbing. I remained sat, my eyes and ears focused in the TV set, listening as they spoke._

**Chapter 6.**

"_Mr. President, what can you tell us about those involved in the incident?"_

"_I was informed General Sephiroth and SOLDIER Fair had a misunderstanding, concerning military business. There was another soldier involved, from a lower rank, Soldier Strife."_

"_We were informed that they were seriously injured."_

"_Yes, it is true, they suffered serious injuries and are now being held in our medical facilities."_

"_And what about General Sephiroth, Mr. President? What do you have to say about him?"_

"_The General… is a great loss, for us. He was a very professional, flawless man."_

"_But how do you justify his attitudes? Burning a village and killing innocent people is not proper of such a flawless man. Not to mention the riot he provoked…"_

"_I cannot explain his attitudes. I can only congratulate and recall his past deeds and-"_

"_So you do not hold any responsibility for his actions."_

"_I am afraid I can't answer that."_

And then, the moderator turned to question another guest.

"_Mr. Wright is a known psychiatrist who accepted to participate in our debate tonight. Good night, Doctor."_

"_Good night. Thank you for your invitation."_

"_Tell us, Dr., from your point of view, was General Sephiroth mentally sane?"_

"_It is a tricky question. I would not define him as sane or insane. The military life is not easy and there are personalities more prone to break under stress."_

"_Do you believe it is a matter of stress, Dr.?"_

"_I doubt it was, since the General was a man so used to war. My theory is based mainly in his deterioration, more than just pure insanity."_

"_And what does that mean, specifically?"_

"_The years of war, blood and slaughter may not have affected him at first but now, under a minor situation, it may have started. How do you justify such coldness, such attitudes towards innocent people who have nothing to do with his mission? The burning, the killing were a way of speaking his mind out. The fight with his subordinates was a way of making his point as a superior. And finally, his sacrifice revealed how his conscience remained there and did not bear the reality, the chaos he created himself. Taking his own life was his own liberation."_

"_Have you seen any similar situation in your long years of practice, Dr.?"_

"_Yes, although none of them revealed such power and violence. The brutality of these particular actions has no precedent. "_

"_Could any of this have been avoided?"_

"_It is a possibility. I suggest a tighter psychiatric control of risk personalities, from now on."_

Suddenly, the moderator turned her stare into the camera and announced:

"_Let's now watch a special series regarding the impressive career of General Sephiroth_."

Images, sequences and events, added with comments filled the screen. It started with his first years at SOLDIER, his company and those who rose with...

Suddenly, my mind stopped. My will froze, with the unpredictability of the images that pierced my mind. A picture of the General occupied part of the screen, altogether with images of burning, dead bodies and bloodied walls. His picture… held my sight and I could only gasp at the shock I felt. I felt a shiver running up my spine. I felt my heartbeat in my ears, how my breathing was rising, becoming audible. My eyelids did not have energy to blink. I could only stare, paralyzed, realizing that I finally knew who the mystery guest was, after all.

It was him, the General himself. The man who slaughtered innocent people, who resumed a village to ashes, the very one who fought their soldiers and, in the end, committed suicide.

_No, he didn't_. My mind said, while I felt yet too much appalled by my recent discovery. _He is in good health. He is here, with me. I brought him. I saved him… I saved… an assassin. _

I wasn't listening to the television, anymore. I could only see and remember, repeatedly, his face in that picture… and making an exact correspondence to the visage I had seen, face to face, so few times.

My God, it was _him_. And _he_ was here, living with me.

_I am in danger_…

The weak and obvious conclusion in my mind was suddenly interrupted with a silent, yet abrupt movement. The door I had closed hours ago was now open and, to my dismay, I realized _someone_ was standing there. _Someone_ who was so similar to that person in the picture, that the TV was exhibiting, once more, now adding the faces of the other two SOLDIER related to the General. _He_ was there, next to my kitchen door… and _he_ was looking at me.

My appalled complexion met his stare and all I could sense from him was… realization. He knew that I had discovered who he was, what he had done. He knew I was shocked. But the worst part of it… was that he sensed the fright I felt, the sensation of panic his presence induced in my core. Basically, he knew I was dead scared of him.

And all I could think about was… disappearing. _Running_. To get away from him, from his presence, from his deadly hands, that only knew how to kill and murder without mercy. I wanted distance from his sick mind and cold, alien green eyes…. Oh my God. He was still looking at me. What the hell did he want?

_Is he going to kill me_?

And then, my body reacted before I could process any coherent thought. Maybe it was the adrenaline, or maybe just the fact that I was somehow used to defend myself from male bestiality. I forgot I was in a kitchen – I only wanted out of this place, period. So, I moved.

However he did move as well, and way faster than me. Before my hands hit the counter – or anything, by that matter – I was roughly grabbed from behind. A strong, iron grasp… an arm took me, grabbing me by my waist, as another arm… well, more like a hand, covered my mouth, compressing it so hard that I could almost feel his fingers reaching my teeth, through my skin.

My immediate reaction was automatic. I tried to get myself free, I tried to remove myself from his hold, only to conclude it was near impossible. My hands reached for his hand in my mouth, and again I tried to remove it from its position. My back, my legs were tense, and reacted the only way I knew how to. I remembered being in similar situations before. And this, right now… was an intense, strong reverberation to my weak, lazy memory.

I didn't have the strength to cry. I didn't have the force to resign. I only knew how to react, how to find some will where there isn't anything anymore, to keep on living… _Surviving_.

But this man was too strong for me to fight against him. Too strong, with too much patience. He did waited for me to stop moving, waited for my muscles to drain of energy, while I – bit by bit – made contact with his body, until I was completely glued to his form. The back of my head, slightly tilted up, contacted with his chest, and my back, my butt, my legs, made contact with the left area of his body. Damn, I could feel his hip bone.

Then, when I didn't know what do… besides resting my tense hands in his arm, that seemed to have some wicked desire of cutting me in two, I sensed his proximity. First, re-positioning my head slightly to my right side, giving him better access… to my left hear. The tension in the air was almost unbearable to stand. I closed my eyes with excessive force, as I anticipated the moment I would listen to his voice. His warm breath was now approaching me, following my hair line, until finally the strange texture of his lips met randomly the skin of my ear and I heard him… shush me.

"Shhh, shhh, shhh."

Reflexively, I opened my eyes in awe. _What the hell_? What the hell was that for, if I wasn't able to speak anyway? My breathing was hard, exiting noisily through my nostrils. I did not hid my fright, and he knew it… he felt it. It was strange, the way he seemed to _feed_ on it to proceed with his little act. However, the words I heard from him afterwards hit me as strong as a punch in the face.

"Now you know the monster you brought home."

His tone was low, dark. I immediately felt the thin hair in my neck react to his cruel, cold words. My eyes closed involuntarily, not wanting to believe this was happening. He was crazy, completely insane… and I was there, trapped against him, without having a clue about what he wanted to do to me.

_Please don't kill me_.

"Hmpf…" a muffled cry was all I was able to exhale, to get him to understand I needed to defend myself. I had to say something to prevent him from doing something terrible. I wanted to live. Please.

As if he had actually understood what I wanted him to do, I felt his grip on my mouth to soften… a little. Little enough for me to talk. Little enough for me to fight for my own life. At least, I had a chance of saying something...

"Don't. I-I won't say a word… to anybody."

I know, it was pitiable. But hey, given the circumstance, it was the only thing I was able to verbalize.

"Won't you, really." His tone was imbibed with skepticism. He did not believe me, not a word, nothing at all. I was willing to bet that, to him, I was no more than a deplorable woman begging shamelessly for her miserable, unworthy life.

"Everybody thinks you're dead." I declared, my voice almost failing. O.k., it was a point to consider. He was dead to the world so… how could I compromise that? No way, I wouldn't.

"You are the only one who knows the truth." He reacted, verbalizing what I expected him to say in his defense. Of course, I was the only one who knew of his little secret. So, following the logic, he would have to shut my mouth - definitely. Ok, despair stroke again, this time harder. This dialogue was going in the wrong direction.

"I don't care. About anything. Really. I won't ask questions... Honestly, I don't care about what you did. Just… don't harm me." My weak voice reflected the despair that I felt. I didn't want him to kill me, I wasn't really worth it. And every, single word I had said was nothing but the truth. I did not care, I did not want to know… from the very beginning.

_Please, don't kill me_.

"Why should I spare you?" I heard him say, once more, next to my ear. His breathing was even, so unlikely my own, that was erratic. He was so abnormally calm… I guess it was only normal to him, a cold-blood murderer, used to destroy and slay without hesitating.

"I took you out of that place." I said, without knowing where did I get that sentence from.

"Your choice." He pointed, using an offensive mocking tone. _What a cold bastard_.

"Your life." I breathed, without strength for more.

_If you are going to kill me, just do it already_. My mind was giving up, my body tired, aching of the tension of the situation. I wanted to verbalize it, to say it with dignity, but no word came out of my mouth. Time stood still, for brief moments. I waited for his reaction, I waited for his final strike… something that would finish me off.

But, from him, nothing came. Only stillness, only the sound of his breathing, mixed with the noise of the television, that was still on and blabbering about something concerning the side-effects of war in the human being's mind. I felt so nervous I didn't know what to think. Shouldn't I get a full perspective of my short-spanned life right now? Well, I guess it doesn't work that way. I breathed in gulps of air, while occasionally, my body trembled. With anticipation, with fear? I didn't know. Maybe both.

"My life..." He finally breathed, loosing slowly – very slowly – his grip on me. Oh. My. God. It was true, he was letting me go. Silently he stood, while he freed me from his unusual grasp. I, however, did not know how to react. Maybe I should move slowly, in case he did change his damn mind. However, the fear did not let me move, not an inch. I was having difficulties already coordinating my breathing, I couldn't – even if I wanted – to plan a quick run from my own kitchen.

So in there I stood, feeling his form close to mine, without his arms on me anymore. I let my gaze find solid ground, while I did not dare to look at him. I felt his eyes in my head. I felt the power of his stare in me, preparing something, concocting some sort of… sentence. He was going to question me, he was going to-

"Why did you bother?"

The certainty of my feelings was appalling. I felt my eyes close, my mouth half open, a gulp of air leaving my body. And then, I realized I had to answer him, even if… even if I wasn't going to look straight back in his eyes.

"That's who I am."

I let those words out, more like a whisper. I didn't have the vigor for more than a fragile, subtle whisper.

Seconds passed and nothing around me changed. The General stood there, in his exact, previous position, exhaling warmth into me, and yet, all I could hear was his breathing… again. It was so unsettling, so… mind-numbing.

_Please, get away from me_. My mind cried, the voice in my head cracking… with horror.

This man had this capacity of turning a stressful moment into something unique, as if he could cheat time and space around him and make it stop, a sudden void in the dimension we lived in. No, it couldn't be. This was just my mind playing tricks on me. This was only the adrenaline rush I had experienced and now, I was suffering the consequences.

_Don't kill me. Please_. I begged, inwardly. His figure was still behind me, still… quiet… This was simply painful.

Suddenly, cold enveloped me. I opened my eyes – automatically- and then, instantly, I knew. He was gone. He had left. He wasn't there… massacring me with his cruel words and icy silences.

I breathed hard a couple of times, trying to get a grip on myself. I had to fight the urge of crying, right there, next to the kitchen counter. I looked around me one more time. I was alone.

_Thank God_…

All I could think about was how I had escaped a certain death. All I could think about was the nature of the man I had sharing with me a space, a common area. An exterminator, a cold-hearted creature. I remembered vaguely the words of that damned specter who had talked me into saving him. How could I "not regret" my decision, after such event? No, this was insane. And I was being dragged into this madness, a foreign, alien insanity I did not want to share or belong to. I didn't want this to me, for me. All I wanted was… serenity.

Rapidly, I shut down the TV and went to my room. Finally, a place where I would find peace… at least for a while.

Once inside, I didn't have time to reach the bed. My legs failed me right next to the door and I felt my body slide, until I found solid ground, where I sat, my back against the door.

And all I could feel was his arms on me.

And all I could hear was his breathing, his words, his dark tone.

And all I could see was my bedroom, deformed… because I had my eyes filled with tears…tears that, after so many time, emerged and now ran copiously through my face, tainting my clothes, hitting my hands.

After so many years, I cried of fear and desperation, silently, without knowing how my human consistence could even stand so much of _this_.

**A/N: This was the chapter I enjoyed the most – writing, re-reading it, etc.. Sephiroth is so damn powerful and the interaction between him and Sora is simply fascinating. (I guess you have proof enough by now she's no Mary Sue…;) Well, at least that is what I think! Let me know then what YOU think! Could you feel the power of his words? Could you feel the menace in his actions? Could you feel the despair in Sora's soul? If you did, then I am happy enough. :) **

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**And… dedicated entirely to those who have been avidly reviewing lately… there you have a glimpse of next chapter's contents**:

Lingering in though, I resumed to chopping vegetables for my salad. I didn't notice a silent, subtle presence approaching. Not until I heard his dark, masculine voice behind me.

"I have a request."

I felt myself froze and my eyes bugged reflexively, remembering at once the events from the previous day. Oh. My. God. He was here… behind me (again!)… what the hell did he want? My fingers and hand grabbed strongly the knife I held, and the remaining vegetables rested next to me, untouched. I didn't know if I should move… at all, or say anything. I didn't know what he expected from me to say… or to do.

"Yes?" I said, my voice fragile.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N – I felt extremely pleased with the outcome of the last chapter – not to mention speechless... with happiness T_T. Not only I received reviews, but the majority of them were constructive and telling me that the chapter was great! Well what can I say? I will keep writing, that's for sure! :) **

**Huge thanks to **_**The Ninja and The writer**_**, my first reviewer and dedicated reader – you review at the speed of light LOL; **

_**Merlinshore**_**, what can I say? Answering –publicly – to your question – about the sexual tension between S&S - well yes there is this "thing" flowing. It's not definable, yet. But something's there and, the most amazing thing about it is that – for now – none of them realizes that. Yeah, they'll keep socializing like two weirdos, until… well I cannot tell you exactly what will happen in further chapters but I can assure you it will be freaking awesome:). Just give them some time LOL;**

_**Ikuni Hattori**_** – my dear blue-haired reader – a big thanks for your words. I have no words to express my gratitude.**

**And finally, a big thanks to those new at reviewing the dark world of Dreamcatcher: fetherhd (tks for the alert as well); and to **_**Kit the Neko**_** for the alert. **

***You are most welcome and you all contributed greatly to my cheerfulness.***

**Well, let's see! I had to cut a part of the chapter because it was simply huge, impossible to upload and I couldn't find the right place to cut the scene or insert it in the next chapter. Sooooo, since I had this flash-back scene (an innovation, I know, I know) and I didn't want to erase it (it's somehow important to contextualize the plot – I guess) I decided to put it in another chapter, namely chapter 7.5. So, you know now: when you find the Flash-back, just go to the next chapter to read it and then back to chap. 7 again to go on with the story. Hum? Confusing? No? Yes? Oh well, I hope you enjoy this chapter and ½ I just added. **

**Everything to please my gorgeous and dedicated readers! Oh, and something very important, do not forget to… review, ok? Just a couple of words, whatever you feel like saying…don't hesitate, do it;)**

**Oh, and to all of you who enjoy the wicked mind of our beloved General, this chapter starts with another moment of his atypical thinking. **

_**Last chapter**__:_

_After so many years, I cried of fear and desperation, silently, without knowing how my human consistence could even stand so much of this._

**Chapter 7**

I could hear her crying.

My audition was acute, - too much for my own benefit. I knew that woman would have to find out the truth eventually. Although she was extremely misplaced in the world around her, there would be a time where she would realize who I was, after all.

I listened to her hasty footsteps, all the afternoon; Hanging the clothes – my clothes – and being questioned by some inconvenient old woman. She lied bluntly, and I wondered why would she lie with such ease, why would she made all those things up only to prevent some foreign eyes to… see me. And finally, the TV program. I could only predict it would end like this. Eventually, they would show a photograph of me and… all truth would be discovered. For a change, I wasn't wrong.

Her surprise was enormous; her panic was immense, as she realized who I was… and what I had done. I guess it is only normal. No one would understand my reasons. I was too much ahead – I have always been. I, the son of Jenova, did not have to justify myself. I only had to act, to do as my mother said, follow the voice in my mind.

Her stare was imbibed in shock as she saw me looking at her. And, at her futile attempt of running, I did grab her easily. My thoughts ran immediately to extermination. I had to protect my integrity, after all. And specially now, that… I am alive, after all.

However she did react. Her legs, her feet, her arms and hands – willingly fought to get free of me. That particular reaction… wasn't usual. I did not see it in ordinary humans, not to mention women. The way she moved, the movements she did to get free of my grabbing… were those of someone who reflexively defends the vital parts of her body, protecting herself.

And, then, finally, her words. Always so intriguing, and yet so… natural. "_That's who I am_", she said. I remembered the despair she felt when she was saying those words, as if she was reviving something terribly painful. What was that? So much grief.

I did not have the courage to kill her, although I knew I should have. I would have, for sure, if I was the "myself" of before.

_Before the voices, before the fight, before… my fall_.

The night had passed slowly. Namely, for me. I couldn't sleep. My mind was too busy deciphering the events that mediated the night I fell… and the night that woman found me. What had happened? Why was I spared from the claws of death?

I couldn't help but to think _Mother_ had something to do with it. After all, I had failed her. I expected her to be angry at me. I expected to find her in someplace else, an ethereal place where gods and their progeny belong. I expected… everything but this planet, once again, nursed by someone who seemed to treat me as someone extremely innocent, empty of sins.

Her un-acknowledgement was appalling. How could she not know, how could she not suspect I was the general everybody feared, the one whose deadly touch only brought despair and fear… the one that had lived such a dependent life.

My guts were restless. I needed to know exactly what happened that night, the night when that woman found me, next to that thing she so awfully described as a sand, ash figure. And… my sword. I missed it terribly. That extra weight, I had learned to live with, nearly as a part of me, as part of my integrity. Where would it be? Would have they kept it and expose it in some museum, as a reminder of the terror the general spread the night hell broke loose? They, Shinra, would they remind me as a hero… or as a crazed man?

I had so many questions. And none of them were answered. _Mother_ did not speak to me since then. This… woman did not know a thing - clearly inutile, for that purpose.

I heard myself sigh, while I focused in the details outside, through the blinds.

My apparent resuscitation… What would this mean? Would this be a second chance? But, if that was the case… a second chance for doing what?

* * *

That night I slept terribly.

Not only it took me ages to fall asleep, but I had had nightmares. Really… bad ones. They were more like distorted realities of the violence I had suffered some years ago. There was no General _Sephiroth_ in it, but another man. A man whose face I knew too well. A man whose force and brutality had met every inch of my fragile frame, a man whose cruel words had hit me, sometimes worse than… the slaps and the punches I received so often.

Remembering such events, such period of my life was simply excruciating. I had been capable of standing that situation for almost two years. But then, a day came when the hits were too violent, when the pushes and the punches were too much, when his words were exceedingly threatening… and my integrity had been categorically at risk.

_**Flash-back (see chapter 7.5)**_

I blinked several times. I remembered all this like a very vivid memory – it was like it had happened yesterday. But no, it didn't. It was 5 years since then. Five years of running from city to city, trying to disappear, to be dead to the world… dead to him. I could only thank that old man for saving me, for giving me the opportunity and chance of running. That was why I called that old man, when I had the chance, to tell him I was fine. I couldn't pay him any other way. When I started working I gathered the amount of money he did gave by then and I told him I wanted to pay him back. He refused. He said to me to use the money for something I enjoyed and not waste it in geriatric purposes.

I insisted for some time, but the old man did not want anything in return, except knowing I was fine- "_Safe from that demon_!", as he used to say - , in some unknown corner of the planet.

And now, all I could remember was the promise I made back then. The promise I made when I was giving up my life already and then, out of nothing, someone held my hand and… saved me.

I promised to help someone in the same situation as mine. If someone needed my help in some extreme situation, I would do anything at my grasp to help that someone back… because when I needed, someone was there. Because, when I needed, there was a voice, a hand, words of comfort that made me want to live, again.

I could only wonder how on Earth a damn specter knew about the promise I made only to myself, five years from here.

The morning passed in haste. I showered, went to the kitchen and prepared lunch, as always. My head still hurt, most probably a reflection of last night's rush. Well I had to admit I was freaking scared. And then, the dreams I had had. Too much memories, too much revival. It was simply disturbing. Man, what would I have to do to shove the General out of my house? Well, an open suggestion was – completely – out of question. But hey, I had accomplished my promise. I didn't have to feel guilty for… wishing him gone. The problem was his behavior. He was completely irascible, unpredictable… how could I live with such… uncertainty?

Lingering in though, I resumed to chopping vegetables for my salad. I didn't notice a silent, subtle presence approaching. Not until I heard his dark, masculine voice behind me.

"I have a request."

I felt myself froze, and my eyes bugged reflexively, remembering at once the events from the previous day. Oh. My. God. He was here… behind me (again!)… what the hell did he want? My fingers and hand grabbed strongly the knife I held, and the remaining vegetables rested next to me, untouched. I didn't know if I should move… at all, or say anything. I didn't know what he expected from me to say… or to do.

"Yes?" I said, my voice fragile.

"I would like you to take me to the exact place where you found me."

I remained in the same position I was previously. He did not move at all, mimicking my stillness. He was only… there, I could only guess _where_ he was given the direction of his voice. However the sensation of threat wasn't as strong as yesterday night. His politeness was almost funny, given the circumstance. Who would guess this man' intentions, with such behavioral volatility?

"When?" I asked.

"As soon as possible."

Wow. Talking about being unnoticeably demanding… I could almost risk saying I was getting used to his rudeness.

"Well…" I started, considering turning to him and looking him in the eye. O.k, I was going to say whatever I had to say to him making eye-contact. Screw my fears. Facing it would be the right thing to do. What was I, a real woman or …what?

_Do it, Sora, you can do it. Face the weirdo, come on_!

Slowly, I turned, until I was face to face… with _the_ general himself. I was so tense I could feel my muscles react to his presence, the threat that was his own existence… not only to me, but to everybody else. My breathing was heavy and my eyes focused in his chest area, covered with a sweat-shirt I knew too well. I had bought it, after all. My stare moved slowly up, until I finally met his gaze. When that happened, I could only breathe deeply, once. The intensity those eyes held was something close to… overwhelming.

_How can he do this_? My mind asked, ingenuously. Surely, there would be a lot of things concerning _the_ general I did not know. His eyes hided mysteries, held questions and answers I could not concrete. And his face… what, were those features hand-made or what? Not to mention the hair, that remained… gorgeously bizarre, since the first day I had seen it… and touched it.

Mesmerized looking at the man who, yesterday, seemed to be possessed by Satan himself, I remembered I had to say something to him. An answer. He was expecting an answer from me.

"…I…" I started, my voice failing. Shit, this was a terrible way of starting this conversation. "…I think that can be arranged. Let me… call, make sure when the next maintenance check-out is and…"

I heard him move towards me. Better said, I sensed the immediacy of his actions reflecting in his eyes… it was the weirdest thing I had ever seen. How can this be even normal? Reacting to his proximity, I glued my lower back against the counter – so hard, I was almost hurt with the pressure I was applying. My breath caught, and I felt myself tremble – of fear, most likely. But I didn't leave his stare, nonetheless. I was so scared and, yet, acting so defiant. Looking at him while he approached me to a point my head was extremely angled up, my heartbeat was… completely anarchic.

_What is he doing? What does he want_ _now_? My mind asked, incapable of saying a word. I couldn't talk, even if I wanted.

And then, the answer came. His left hand reached for my right hand, which was right next to me… grasping a knife… the same knife I was cutting vegetables with, moments ago. I felt his hand in mine, exerting a little pressure. It was a huge hand. Warm, slightly calloused, but firm. His long fingers softly released my grasp from the knife, with unnatural ease. My senses were filled with his smell, since he was so close to me, now. The fine texture of his grey hair brushed randomly my face, a disconcerting yet pleasant feeling. And suddenly, when I noticed, my hand was empty and I heard the sound of the metallic object reach the dish-washer behind me. Simply, he had launched that potential harming object away from me… from us.

And, during the whole process, he never moved his eyes from mine. I felt somehow like a trapped prey but, at the same time, an equal deathly predator, just like him. The ambiguity of the sensation I was experimenting was devastating.

However, my wandering mind woke up to his strong, neutral voice.

"Much better."

I blinked several times, taking some time processing his speech, only to conclude a second after he was referring to the knife I held while I was talking to him, previously.

"Oh. Ok." I said, my voice week.

Slowly, he moved again, now in the opposite direction. He was returning to his previous site, before his sudden intromission in my personal space.

"You were saying." He reminded, expecting me to continue.

_Yeah, that's right, I was the one talking some seconds ago_.

"Well, as I said, I am going to make sure when the next maintenance round is. I will let you know of it."

"When?" He insisted.

"As soon as I make that call."

"And when would that be?"

"Today, I guess."

Man he sure was in haste. After a short pause, he finally said:

"I will be waiting."

"O.k." I answered back, while my eyes still lingered in his own.

And with that, he left towards his own room. Finally, I was able to breathe a little better, without the scrutiny of his intense stare. I let out a loud sigh, remembering how could it be possible for him to ask me something like this… and I, how did I even stand his stare on mine the whole time we spoke.

**A/N – This chapter got bigger than I predicted but I thought the flash-back would be great, since there is no concrete explanation concerning Sora's past in previous chapters. And, of course, I figured you missed the General' POV, so I added a glimpse here. I hope you liked it. So review and comment if you like, all your opinions are most welcome (as you well know by now). **

**Oh and… I am posting this soon because this weekend I won't have the chance of posting or anything like that. But I am working on next chapter by now… it's not finished yet… but it will be out, probably early next week.**

**Thank you so much for your comprehension. **

_**Oh and btw… you have a teaser in chapter 7.5 – utterly dedicated to those who reviewed avidly the last chapter. [And the winners are: Detta-san (plus KAM, of course), Merlinshore, IkuniHattori, fetherhd]**_


	9. Chapter 75  FB

_***This completes chapter 7.*:) Hope you like it.**_

_**Flash-back**_

My blurred vision met the wall, yet another time. I did not know what to do, what to say to calm him down, for him to stop beating me. If he continued, certainly he would kill me. Tonight he was more violent… than usual. My head ached, my arms, my legs. I felt a sharp pain somewhere in my ribs, I didn't know what was that… if the ribs just broken or… something more serious. Sitting at the floor and supporting my wounded form in the closest wall, I tried to get myself together. I could only hope that he wouldn't cause more than concussions, otherwise I wouldn't know what excuse I would invent this time, if I had to go to hospital.

My breathing was heavy… with pain, with…fear.

_Please, don't hurt me anymore_, my mind kept saying, to him, in silence. What had I done to deserve this? To be completely knocked out by someone… who, clearly, wasn't well with his head. What threat did I pose to him? None. I was just a fragile woman, trapped in a failed relationship, trying to forgive unforgiving actions, trying to justify what did not have any justification, at all. There were no excuses for a man to hit a woman, under any circumstances, I knew that. But my young mind, in love with a man that obviously did not – really - exist, held to a hope. And yet I still hoped he would change, I still hoped days could be calmer, and then, one day, he may possibly be tender and loving.

However that day seemed to never come. And I… kept waiting, with my body and mind sore, bleeding with sadness, with the inevitability I predicted.

Looking slightly up, I saw him observing at me, his eyes filled with rage. I couldn't cry anymore. I did not have the strength to do it. I could only stare, and imagine what he would do to me, yet again.

_I can't take this anymore_... My mind warned me. I could only sense what he was doing. He had now moved, gone into the kitchen. Only God would know what he was going after. However I, mangled in the floor, tasting my own blood inside my mouth, had a bad feeling. Sure thing, he was not going to ask for help. More likely, he would probably get something to hurt me even more. I could listen to him opening drawers… but the acute noise of the cutlery was proof enough to me. I did not have to see it to believe it.

He was going to kill me.

Suddenly, a strange force got to me, I didn't know from where. I stood up, quickly, and ran. I ran, reached the door of the place where we lived and darted downstairs. Panicking, I kept knocking at the doors I found in the way.

"Help, please…. Help me…" Sudden tears rolled down my face, as I mouthed the words, directed to the doors that seemed to be made of stone.

"SORA!"

Abruptly, I heard him yell. I felt my heart froze, at the horrible sound. He had noticed my absence. He was going after me, to take me out… and he was mad… so angry. Now, without any doubt at all, I was certain he would kill me.

I kept running downstairs, until I reached the last door of the building. It was shut and I didn't have the keys with me to open it. Despaired, I knocked at the closest door next to me, where someone lived, I knew someone lived there. And that person would be my salvation… or not.

"Please, open up. Please… " I sobbed. "… he is going to kill me…" I cried, with my forehead glued to the door, in desperation.

I could only hear him, descending, his footsteps slow, his laugh cruel, while he spoke, not ten meters from me:

"You will pay for your disobedience, my little Sora."

I could only close my eyes and wish I was elsewhere. Dead, or in another dimension, but not here. More tears rolled down my face, my mind hazed, realizing I had no choice but to accept the fate I was so close to receive. A fate filled with cruelty, hurt and sorrow.

But then, a sudden noise was heard. The sound of a locker, so close to me. Faster than I could ever predict the door in front of me opened and I was sucked inside almost at the speed of light.

Then, I could only listen to the noise of the door closing… and then, lockers, again. I looked ahead. It was an old man. I did not know his name, I only knew he lived in this building.

"SORA! Get out, now! Do not defy me, Sora!" Words – his words -, intertwined with punches, in the door. I trembled at the sound, his speech, the brutal noise in the wood.

I didn't say anything.

"SORA!Now!"

I felt my legs give in, and I let myself go down, with my knees supporting my weight. That strange old man remained there, scrutinizing his own door, that was suffering the madness of another. Punches, more punches and kicks. He called my name for more than an hour. He lingered there all the time, attempting against the door, but –thankfully - to no avail.

When silence finally reigned, the man that stood next to his own door like a statue finally talked.

"There is a time in life for everything. And your time has come now, my child."

I could only stare at him, not understanding the meaning behind his words.

"You need to run, be free of this demon. Enough of pain and sorrow."

He was right, I knew he was. But how, how would I run, get away if I had nothing?

"But I-"

"I will help you."

And he did. He gave me money – enough money – for me to catch a train. He gave me some directions, places he knew I would be… safe, at least for some weeks. Some clothes, food and myself – that was I had when I took the train that very same morning, into a place I didn't know, away, very very far away from the city I lived. My home… was now … nowhere. I couldn't afford to belong to any place in particular. I could only … thank God for being alive and having someone that helped me… that saved me the night all odds were against me.

There was no home for me, now.

**End of Flash-Back**

**[**_**Go to the previous chapter to continue with the story**_**]**

**A/N: Sorry I had to put this separated from the last chapter, but there was no way of doing it. Feel free to comment people. Can't wait to hear from you. Your reviews are simply amazing!**

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_**Next chapter…**_

_…_

"Maybe…" I started, not knowing exactly how to put it. "… we should go when the night falls. It will be easier to get there and back again without… prying eyes."

"If you say so."

_If I say so? What the hell?_

"I am asking your opinion." I said right after. I was so angry with his behavior I felt really capable of slapping him. That bastard. Oh, you're gonna get it... you're gonna get it right now. "After all, you're a war criminal."

I felt myself triumphant. I had attacked low, I knew it. But hey, he deserved it, and more. He was being extremely unpleasant with me. To me, the one who had saved him and… fed him and… bought him clothes. I wasn't worthy of such manners, for Christ 'sake.

However my victory was short-timed. His answer was as fast as caustic.

"And you were my accomplice... because saving a sociopath isn't the greatest of deeds, right?"

…

**[**_**Man, this dude rocks!**_**]**


	10. Chapter 8

**A/N – O.k., I admit it. I am getting a bit addicted to this. Anyway, I finished this chapter in some in between's I had available around here. Geez, things are just hectic this semester. Anyway, since I got the chapter definitely prepared, I just thought Why not and send the damn chapter, people are waiting. :) **

**Of course I have my thank you's directed to Detta-san, my faithful reader and her alter-ego (LOL) Kam; fetherhd, your comments are simply powerful; Kit, I can only expect this chapter is of your liking; Ikuni, your premonition, your premonition… what can I say? I can only hope not to ruin this story for you, with the plot I have in mind. Merlinshore, what happened? I missed your review!...**

**Thank you all very much for reading. It makes me extremely happy.**

**[PS to Ikuni Hattori - And no, I didn't rush this! LOL]**

**Disclaimer: As always.**

**Last chapter: **

_And with that, he left towards his own room. Finally, I was able to breathe a little better, without the scrutiny of his intense stare. I let out a loud sigh, remembering how could it be possible for him to ask me something like this… and I, how did I even stand his stare on mine the whole time we spoke._

**Chapter 8**.

I did make the call to my supervisor after lunch.

I did not know what I wanted to hear… if there was someone of the maintenance team scheduled for today, if the reactor had been closed for good… I honestly didn't know. Either way I had to tell him eventually the point of the situation. After all, Mr. Weirdo himself was _waiting_.

The phone call proceeded faster than I thought and I staggered shamelessly whilst explaining myself. I was terrible at lying – I always had been, although lately I had been improving the technique; now I was – more or like – able of lying in a more credible way. Although this wasn't a standard situation, this was _the_ General's request. This was _the_ General's wish.

This was… shitty, for me, actually. Not only _the_ General remained freaking scary, but now he was inducing the loss of my calm and peace of mind.

Anyway, no one was going to check on the reactor today. Apparently, it had been yesterday.

Hum. That information left me with a huge interrogation in my mind. Should I tell him today the place was vacant? Well maybe I should… if that meant he would leave soon.

_Yes, that's it_.

It was a valid possibility. As soon as he got to see… whatever he wanted to, maybe he would leave. Maybe he just needed to see the place to decide what to do and… O.k., I was definitely going to help the _General, sir_ with that. Yes, we both wanted distance from each other; we both wanted our old life back… or so I though.

Only considering the possibility of me, alone in my apartment again, was… overwhelming.

_O.k, General, I will acquiesce your request_.

And with that, I left my own room. It didn't take me much to realize he was still in his room. The kitchen was empty, and the plate with his food still rested next to the counter, untouched. I wondered if he wasn't hungry or if, simply, he had some strange food habits. Nothing about this man would surprise me, at this point.

I knocked vaguely at his door. Not one second passed and I heard his voice directed to me, obviously.

"Yes."

"A… May I?" I asked, with the door still closed.

"It's your house." He answered me. I felt both my eyebrows rising, considering his words. My God, who the hell did he think I was? A punch-bag? Oh, no. He was going to listen to me, oh yes he would.

With a firm movement, I did open the door and I stood next to it, not entering the room. Mr. Weirdo _General, sir_! was standing next to the window, his back to me. Well maybe the spectacle through the half-closed blinds _was_ extremely interesting, to justify his manners.

_How rude, for Gods 'sake… standing there all-mighty with his back to the insignificant human…_ My mind was extremely angry with his attitude. Come on, he was the one asking me for something and he was playing the I'm-in-charge-here. And not to mention that that comment had really pissed me off.

"Just because this is my house, it doesn't mean I have the right to invade your privacy. That would be rude." I said, my voice hard.

"I don't remember you inviting me."

And that was it. I felt myself shocked with such answer. What a nerve!_ O.k, you're asking for it_.

"You were unconscient." I declared, as if I was stating something very obvious.

"So?"

"So what?"

_What the-?_

"When do we leave?"

His words startled me. I didn't know what to think. What, was he omnipresent, like… God? How was this even possible?

"How do you-" I started, but he didn't let me finish.

"My hearing is very accurate."

_Accurate. Nice way to put it. _

"You listened to my phone call?" I said, words exiting my mouth extremely slowly. I could not believe _the_ General himself would get that low for a freaking phone call.

"I was standing in this exact place. I did not spy on you, if that's what you're implying."

Oh my God! And now he was playing the victim here! This wasn't happening, really.

"I didn't mean that. I just… find it weird that-"

"Weird." He interrupted me, suddenly, with a slight mocking tone. "Right." He whispered, finally. His tone was simply nostalgic. It almost made me feel sorry for him, if he hadn't been such a moron before. O.k, maybe I should go straight to the point that had brought me here in first place.

"Maybe…" I started, not knowing exactly how to put it. "… we should go when the night falls. It will be easier to get there and back again without… prying eyes."

"If you say so."

_If I say so? What the hell?_

"I am asking your opinion." I said right after. I was so angry with his behavior I felt really capable of slapping him. That bastard. Oh, you're gonna get it... you're gonna get it right now. "After all, you're a war criminal."

I felt myself triumphant. I had attacked low, I knew it. But hey, he deserved it, and more. He was being extremely unpleasant with me. To me, the one who had saved him and… fed him and… bought him clothes. I wasn't worthy of such manners, for Christ 'sake.

However my victory was short-timed. His answer was as fast as caustic.

"And you were my accomplice... because saving a sociopath isn't the greatest of deeds, right?"

_Son of a motherf_… O.k, I had to stop with this… inciting game. He wasn't going to let me win, anyway. He was the General, how could I stand a chance with _him_? And, besides, I wouldn't taint my mental speech with swearing… only because of _him_. No way. He wasn't worthy of it.

"How about 9 p.m.?" I said, after a long sigh, pretending I hadn't heard his last words.

"Fine." He said, maintaining his previous position.

"Great."

And, with that, I closed the door and I went to my own bedroom, fuming.

"What a freaking idiot…" I mouthed, while I arranged the bed cover, which was undone since this morning.

During the whole afternoon, I realized there was some movement in his room. In and out a couple of times, one of those to eat. Man, he was really an anti-social being…the man ate with the kitchen door closed. I wondered what he would do if I just invaded the kitchen out of nothing. Wait, what would I see? The General, sir, eating with his hands or something?

The thought of him eating like a pre-historic man made me laugh slightly. That was a silly image… not to mention completely misplaced. No, the sociopath would never eat like that. I suspected he would eat as he did everything in life. I imagined he must be very rigorous with his subordinates. Come on, if I – only a simple woman - freaked out with his usual stare, I did not want to image him gazing, mad at someone.

The result shouldn't be nice. Besides, I didn't have to think much to conclude exactly that. What he had done at Nibelheim… was proof enough he wasn't to play around with.

Eventually I fell asleep that afternoon. I was somehow sleep deprived given the bad dreams I had had last night. Far away, in between sleep, I heard silent footsteps, a still haste that was far unhuman to my feeble earing.

There was five past 9 p.m. when I left my own room, to find a standing black statue waiting outside, in the hall that geographically separated us and our premises. I could only stare in awe at his figure and I couldn't help but to shiver at the sight of… him.

All about him screamed "General". He was dressed with his original clothing, those leather trousers and coat I had found him with, gloves included. I remembered immediately those terrible moments I had lived at the reactor, before and after I had found him. It was impossible not to feel disturbed with such… view. However, his sleeping self was slightly bearable than… this. His green, strange eyes were the most distinctive mark of his… seriousness. His grey hair, falling anarchically, but so elegantly… was something I could only classify as mesmerizing.

"You are late." He declared, his voice neutral.

Of course.

"Are you going dressed like that?" I said, disguising my unease with a very direct question. Probably he wouldn't get it.

"Is there a problem?"

_Bingo_.

"No… I guess." I lied, averting my eyes from him. Yes, there was a problem: him and this whole mess I was in because I had listened to a specter' words.

Sighing, I made my way to the door. He followed me silently during the whole process. When my hands rested in the keys, hanging in the door lock, I stopped, remembering something extremely important. He wasn't someone random. He was supposed to be dead. And… we were about to leave the safety of my own apartment to an obvious exposure. Truth be said, those kind of problems started right just a floor below.

"We have to be discreet." I said, suddenly, looking at the door. I felt his presence right behind me. What was with this guy and my back? "I happen to have this neighbor who-"

"I know." He interrupted me, earning my attention. I turned, facing his stare, neutral as always, as he was saying extremely very simple, like "good morning" or "have a nice day". Nonetheless, he continued with his speech, as if he had read the surprise in my face. "But do not worry, your inconvenient neighbor is busy right now."

_Excuse me?_

"How do you know that?" O.k, it was inevitable that I would ask something this obvious. Yes, how could he know that the old hag was busy with… whatever? Come on.

However his answer to my question did not implied words, but gestures. Locking his gaze in mine, I felt – again – trapped in that strange dimension he transported me to, when he looked at me like that; that strange intensity, so appealing and so unnatural, at the same time. His complexion did not move, not an inch. My own didn't, as well.

Then I saw him raise his hand. He could have tricked me, I was having the sensation he was going to hold my hand or… my face… but – of course – he didn't. He did gesture with his index finger to his right ear, tilting oh so slightly his head in the same direction. His hair moved in consonance with his discreet movements… honestly, it looked like it was somehow… alive, dancing around his face and into his shoulders, obeying the master's order.

_Freaking weird_…, my mind said, reflexively. I had to take my time processing his answer, though. It was somehow difficult for me, a mere female, to get rid of the effect his eyes had on me… literally. It worked like a freaking anesthetic of some sort. Finally, I was able to think: Ok, fine, he heard the old hag doing her thing. Right, his audition was accurate, as he so well said lately. Whatever.

"O.k. Let's go through the stairs to sublevel 1. My car is there. Garage number 6."

And with that, I opened the door and we left.

In less than five seconds we were inside my garage. The place was exactly as I had left it, some days ago, with no sign of intrusions. I started roaming around, trying to get the huge door open and starting the car. Meantime my static guest remained near the wall, scrutinizing my car in the worst way possible. O.k., it wasn't too much – it was rented – but it was fine. I understand that a car like mine isn't the same military had access to but hey… there was no need of such killing gaze.

"Is this your car?" His voice finally was heard, his tone matching his face.

_Man, what an idiot._

"Yes." I answered, not bothering to look at him. Really, how was I going to put up with this?

"And may I ask you how did my sword ended up there?"

_Outch_. And now what?

"Oh… I… brought it from… you know."

It was the truth, even if the staggering made it sound like a blunt lie.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Oh, of course. How could I forget his demanding manners? Even if I wanted, he would remind me certainly of how much of an arrogant bastard he was capable of being, only by opening his sweet little mouth to claim something of me.

"You didn't ask." I answered, matching his tone. "Besides, considering your actions of late I thought it would be better not letting you know of where it was."

"You thought?"

He quoted, with a slight deviant tone. He was, undoubtedly, annoying me. I didn't know what was worse: if his reference to my thinking towards him or… my ability of thinking, in general.

Either way, it was impolite. It was unfair and cruel to the person who had done so much for a simple stranger.

However, I wasn't going to play along with his little provocation. It didn't matter, anyway. Certainly, he would leave soon and I wouldn't have to put up with him and his nasty manners. Focusing in something else, I stood next to the car and said, in his direction:

"Do you want to get inside the car or what? It's half an hour to Neibelheim."

After a minimal hesitation, he did get inside the car. He sat next to me, and did not say a word until we reached our destination.

The trip had been calm and – luckily – the night was moonless. The dark was a good alley for this particular night, considering I was driving with the supposed-dead-general-all-mighty right by my side.

However I was able to feel his discomfort when we passed by the little village he had ravaged not too many time ago. The marks of fire and blood were still there, and his eyes shifted from place to place, probably analyzing, thinking… scoring his own actions.

Finally we reached the reactor.

"We're here." I said, although I knew he was well aware this was _the_ place. His face was serious and only by looking at him, a mere glimpse, I was able to catch, in a fragment of a second, a breath of pain and hurt exhaling from him. This place brought him bad memories.

Leaving the car and heading to the maintenance entrance, I felt him following me, in silence. None of us spoke while I entered the place, popped up the lights and made my way into the door – that door, to that place where that specter had guided me… to find _him_.

I opened the door, only to face darkness ahead of me.

"I found you here. But the place was illuminated, I-"

"There is no moonlight tonight." He said. "That's why."

I eased myself out of his way and watched him get inside that somber place. I could hear his footsteps, calmly walking around.

"Sora."

I heard him call my name. My head turned immediately in his direction. Now, with my eyes more accustomed to darkness, I was able to discern what he was doing, where he was standing.

"Yes?"

I had a feeling he wanted me to tell him something. I didn't know what it was, but… I was willing to bet it had something to do with the "_thing_" he was holding on to when I found him laid there.

I walked in his direction, only to find him staring at the ground, where a distorted mass of grey substance was shattered all over. It was still there after all, that strange thing that reminded me of sand or some kind of thick ash.

"Was this the place?" He asked, his tone low.

"Yes. You were grabbing… that." I said, pointing to _it_, hoping my information could be of any help.

Catching - again – another glimpse at his complexion, I almost felt pity of the man standing there, close to me. In there was hurt, sorrow and… sadness. His eyes held a shine that made him almost glow in the dark that surrounded us.

Suddenly, I saw him crouch, his stare never leaving the strange grey mass. His gloved hand reached for that thing, touching it. The grey mass lost all its initial form and then, it was resumed to a thin layer covering the ground. Nothing more, nothing less.

His stare was frozen, his body static. The silence was crushing.

I didn't know what to say, I didn't know what to do.

"Leave me alone for a minute."

When I heard his words I simply left, with some relief I must say. I had that strange feeling he was talking to something, or someone, with his eyes, with his mind. I didn't know why I felt that. I only knew that something really unusual had happened here, and-

I heard the door opening, startling me. I was already outside, waiting for him to come back, after the said minute. And, indeed, a minute after, he was there.

"We may leave."

He passed by me, heading to the car.

After a long second, my legs moved. O.k, I was somehow… worried. What the hell did just happen?

**A/N – Yeah, man, what the hell did just happen?**

**Did you like it? I hope so. Review, people… review and you'll get sweet surprises. :)**

* * *

_**Next chapter**_:

…

He didn't give me time to say anything, or look at him, because his harsh words hit me faster than I could ever predict.

"You are lying to me."

I felt a pang in my chest when I processed his words. How did he know I was lying? How was this even possible? I couldn't tell him about the specter. I just… couldn't.

"What?" I said, my voice failing shamelessly.

"You heard me." He said, with a low tone. His eyes were gazing into my own, and I didn't know what to do, what to say to calm his obvious misbelieve in me. And I had to admit – my body reactions weren't helping. I was shivering, cold sweat covering my forehead, and the iron grip he kept, holding my arm… definitely, it didn't help at all.

"I…"

"What are you hiding? Who sent you to find me?"

…


	11. Chapter 9

**A/N – After all the weekend didn't revealed itself as terrible as I thought. Time did stretch for me, these two days. LOL **

**Now, a couple words towards my beloved readers:**

**And the award goes to: **_**Ikuni Hattori**_** - this time you won the gold medal – you were the fastest reviewer of the previous chapter. Congrats and my sincere thank you's for your kind words – as always, so supportive T_T My God I am getting sensitive about all this… *sniff***

_**The Ninja and The writer**_** – thank you as well for your amazing parodies and sense of humor. **

**And finally, big thanks to **_**Takara**_**, for taking time reviewing. **

**Review people, let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: As always.**

**Oh and, btw, I have posted a new story – Chaos & Entropy. For those who are fond of Vincent Valentine, check it out if you want. That story will go slowly, since this one – Dreamcatcher- is my priority now. But it will be interesting as well… sneak into the A/N to find out the details of the plot and etcetera. **

**So, where were we? **

**Last chapter:**

"_We may leave."_

_He passed by me, heading to the car. _

_After a long second, my legs moved. O.k, I was somehow… worried. What the hell did just happen?_

**Chapter 9**.

The journey home was even scarier than before.

The general was silent – but now, the silence he held was… furious. I could sense in him the rage, the anger, the way his jaw clenched in the shadow that surrounded us, the way his eyes shone… a terrible shine, a freaking death stare.

It was simply petrifying.

We got home quietly, without surprising eyes. I noticed he had his sword next to him, but made no intentions of saying a word about it.

I didn't dare to say anything, by that matter. My mind wasn't even able to process anything coherent. I only wanted my bed, the safety of my bedroom, anything else. The environment around us was heavy, the silence surroundings us difficult to bear.

_Everything to stay away from him_… My mind was restless, my body quivering.

However, things were about to get even worse. Once inside my apartment, I reached immediately to the door, again, to get it locked. I did think I was all alone in the hall. I did think the general was already in his room, as usual.

I was wrong.

As my hands were finally done with the keys, I felt something grab my arm. In less than a second, I recognized his touch on me. But I had not time to think about anything else, the why's and the how's behind it because, before I could even realize what was happening, my back was glued to the door and my face could only see… a chest. Partially covered with leather, grey hair and the muscle tone giving away the modest strength he was applying into grabbing my arm.

He didn't give me time to say anything, or look at him, because his harsh words hit me faster than I could ever predict.

"You are lying to me."

I felt a pang in my chest when I processed his words. How did he know I was lying? How was this even possible? I couldn't tell him about the specter. I just… couldn't.

"What?" I said, my voice failing shamelessly.

"You heard me." He said, with a low tone. His eyes were gazing into my own, and I didn't know what to do, what to say to calm his obvious misbelieve in me. And I had to admit – my body reactions weren't helping. I was shivering, cold sweat covering my forehead, and the iron grip he kept, holding my arm… didn't help at all.

"I…"

"What are you hiding? Who sent you to find me?"

Oh my God, so that was it. His demanding tone was almost too much for me – he clearly thought I was being ordered by someone – someone who knew he was still alive. Well it was a good theory, however it wasn't real. The only thing in my mind was the image of that specter. That female vision, talking to me, invading my head, my privacy. How could I tell him something like that? I couldn't. I simply couldn't. He wouldn't believe me. And, most likely, he would mock me and, eventually… kill me for that.

"N-No one. No one sent me, I-I found-"

"Don't lie."

"I-I swear. Please."

The way my words stumbled was now close to ridiculous and gave away too obviously I was not telling everything I knew about the whole situation. Oh my God I was so screwed.

"Was someone from the company?"

"No, no, I…"

"Who, then?"

Our eyes were locked since this conversation had started. All about his face screamed General. All about his manners screamed military interrogation. All about him screamed… "_I'm not leaving you until I don't have my answers"_. Despair was taking over me. I didn't know what to think, what to do. Should I tell him what really happened that day, at the reactor? I didn't know if I should. And… how should I tell him that? What, should I say "_A fucking specter, that's who_!"? No, he would probably laugh at my words.

Lost in thought, lost in his scrutinizing gaze, I felt my voice failing completely. He was figuring me out, he was realizing I did know something but I wasn't telling him. And that, exactly, made him extremely irritated.

"TELL ME!" He said, raising his tone, his eyes fuming.

Unfortunelately, my body reacted the way I didn't want it to. The vegetative reactions to such stressful situation had its limits – and mine were now being achieved. I felt a pressure growing in my orbits, my eyes watery. Blinking slowly, I realized tears would be falling soon. Thankfully, I didn't sob or something – it would have been humiliating, cry like a five-year-old in front of such person. I didn't want it to…

But, unwillingly, I felt my face wet. The tears fell, reaching my jaw line and then disappearing below my neck line, drawing shining lines across my cervical anatomy. His face remained neutral but I could see the anger in his eyes subside – even so little. My despaired mind wondered if he had never seen a woman cry. I honestly doubted, since his roughness would have certainly made a lot of men cry… so, who was I to be different from those?

"Please…" I whispered, in his direction, hoping he could believe in me. "No one sent me. I-I was only there, doing my job and… I ran into you."

O.k, it wasn't a complete lie – but it wasn't the whole mighty truth, either. I tried to avert my stare from his, but to no avail. Reacting to my action, his hand reached for my chin and jaw and trapped me. I had no other choice but to stare back to him, letting myself go, exposing the desolation I felt, right behind my watery eyes. Seconds, minutes went by… and we remained there, motionless… as statues, his eyes never leaving mine. His hand, his fingers were warm against the moist skin of my face. His eyes… beyond description. I only knew this was disturbing me, influencing my body constants. Why was he so cruel? Why was he torturing me like this?

"That's not what your eyes tell me." He finally said, his voice devoid of any anger. Well at least he was – somehow - back to his neutral-mode again.

However, little by little, I became conscious I was – really – considering his affirmation. What, did he have any power? How could he – simply – realize I was hiding information from him only by looking at my eyes? He didn't know me enough to perceive that. Maybe it was one of those military techniques, it has to be. Only that way I could explain-

"And your body gives away your anxiety."

Wow, that one earned an eye-brow rising from me. It was as impressive as frightening, this capacity he had of… scanning my reactions, of reading my body.

"You are simply scaring the hell out of me." I said, my voice shaking, trying to justify my actions.

"Am I?"

I nodded in sign of agreement. His hold on me loosened a bit and his hand did left my face in a sudden movement.

"Are you _that_ afraid of me?" He asked, half-closing his eyes as he said the words.

"You know the answer. Why bother asking?"

I could swear I found surprise in his eyes, reacting to my words. What, did he expect _more_ tears and desperate cries towards him? No, I had enough of that in my past.

"Because your arm is fighting my hand since the beginning of our conversation."

O.k, so that was his problem. Someone reacting – fighting him. A simple woman, defying the mighty sociopath general. I could only grasp he – definitely - wasn't used to insubordination, of any kind. Most likely, he was a man who had everything his way.

"I'm not the resigning type." I said, without knowing where did I get the courage to say that. Sometimes, I surprised myself with such… affirmations.

"So I've noticed." He said.

"Would you mind-"

I was going to tell him to let me go, to release my arm, but he didn't let me finish. Instead, he rested his other arm next to my head, supporting his hand at the door, incapacitating me – completely – of doing anything else but… to look at him. And he changed his manners, all of the sudden. The military general disappeared and a somehow amused and curious man rose, instead. His face now was approaching - slowly –mine. I buried my head in the door behind me, but I had my limits – and he knew that; he was categorically taking advantage of my "trapped prey" position to do… whatever he wanted to do or say, to me. I didn't know what it was, why it was, but I doubted he needed to get that close of me for that purpose. His proximity was frightening and remarkable, at the same time. The fear I felt for him, given his unpredictability, his neutrality, his freakiness, was being now – slowly – replaced with curiosity, with… interest.

_Snap out of it Sora. The man is threatening you, for God 'sake_.

I knew my mind was right, but there was something inside me that didn't want to run away from him, from his touch, his stare. So I didn't fight his strange movement. I let myself observe how his gaze did seem to travel inside me, recollecting information, discovering my secrets, my darkest moments, exposing my undisclosed desires.

And the smell he emanated, his breathing, air leaving his nostrils and reaching my face, a warm breeze strangely soothing. His hair, falling next to his face, pending now in the space that separated us, eccentrically volatile for a mere human. I had to fight the urge of touching it.

And finally, his face; his hard features, softly designed a fair face, so outstandingly beautiful as… malicious.

A thin column of air was all that separated our faces. Honestly, I didn't know what on Earth could he possibly want with such… attitude.

"So tell me,… Sora…" He said, pausing strategically before and after saying my name. "… from what did you not resign, exactly?

"From life." I breathed, barely capable of thinking straight.

"That's very poetic for a woman that barely enjoys her living."

His tone was soft and – dare to say – a little ironic. However, it was the bare truth. And I didn't have the words to answer to him. So, I stood quiet, avoiding his eyes, trying to focus on something that wasn't him, practically attached to me, having fun teasing the stupid young woman without purposes in life. However, his next question made me look back at him in less than a second.

"What are you running from?"

My heart pounded in my chest like a freaking hammer. My reaction to his question was obviously unsettling. And he knew it. We both knew it.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You. You are constantly hiding."

_What in the world…?_

"I am a reserved person."

"You do have reflex defensive moves, for a regular woman."

_What, was that a compliment of some sort?_

"I… I am a… "

"From _whom _are you running from?"

And that was it. The final, treacherous question. "_Who?"_ Oh, if he knew only half of the story. But no, I wouldn't tell him that. That was my private life and he didn't have anything to do with it.

"I don't ask you questions. So I would much appreciate you could do the same, in return."

His complexion showed a little bit of surprise. Clearly, he didn't expect me to say something like that. Clearly, he didn't expect a lot of things from me, lately.

"Fair enough." He declared, stepping away from me – finally. Without his influence, my mind worked a lot better. I relaxed a little bit when he let go of my arm and when I felt the distance between us was now acceptable – and not categorically intrusive, as he enjoyed so much.

However, his freaking dissecting stare was still on me.

"Are you done?" I said, not bothering to look straight at him.

"I am."

"Good."

I did leave the hall without saying anything else. No more words, no more freaking sick stares. I passed by him, headed to my bedroom, closing the door behind me with shaky hands.

I supported myself against the door for a while, my forehead rested there as well, my eyes closed. It was the freaking adrenaline, again, rushing me and my breathing, my heartbeat, like… like… like I was about to suffer a heart attack.

Why? Why was this man like this? This… behavior? Did he have some hidden pleasure in torturing me?... teasing me merciless, experimenting my limits.

This was hell. Living with this man was the most consuming living I had experienced until now.

Gathering strength to get to my bed, I finally sat there and resumed to my thinking.

These were moments difficult to erase from my mind.

Lying in my bed, all I could remember was his smell, asphyxiating me; when I closed my eyes, all I could see was his complexion, adorned with the most beautiful green eyes I have ever seen in my life.

And, in the end, I was only able to recall how his words, his manners, his irony, destroyed completely any form of sympathy I could eventually feel for him.

**A/N – Oh the tricky heartbeat, the urges impossible to control… our dear Sora is getting into trouble. But there's how these matters of the heart are: just plain irrational :) And what about our Seph, what does explain his attitudes? Yes, he is a very non-standard guy. Let's see how it works out next chapter. You know what to do to stimulate my writing: Review:) [Pls:), I absolutely adore your opinions.] **

**Next chapter**:

…

"Excuse me."

His voice knocked me out of my mental chastising, as I roamed around in the kitchen, not minding my surroundings.

Reflexively, my head turned to him. The general stood next to the kitchen door, scrutinizing me as usual, and all I was able to do was… gulping. I didn't know what to say. For a change.

"Care to join me?"

I opened my eyes in awe. Me? Joining him? _Talking about freezing my brain mass_...

"Where to?" I asked, not believing this. Him, me, this… situation. This was too awkward.

"The bedroom."

…

**[O.k, don't be mean.] **


	12. Chapter 10

**A/N – To my beloved & faithful readers, I can only hope this chapter meets your expectation.**

**Thank you's**** - **_**The Ninja and the Writer**_**, always supportive and cheerfull; **_**Ikuni**_**, your support goes beyond frontiers (literally) – thank you so much for your words, messages and chat – almost live LOL that's was funny. **_**Akamura**_**, you're new to the review universe, so thank you a lot for your patience and non-lazyness :P I hope I may see your name reviewing my story in further chapters. Kit the Neko, your hunch is… so right, so right, my friend. **

**You are all very welcome and I honestly hope you are enjoying truthfully this story. I have fun writing it but, the best part of it is sharing it with you guys (reviewers and non-reviewers), having an amazing feedback. **

**Keep on:)**

**So, let's go on with the thing here. I realized the teaser was much commented, everybody had a blast with that exquisite reference to the bedroom – I'm happy with that – but hey, hey… let's be honest here. There is being quick with fluffiness… and there is the way our General leads on a woman - [If you know what I mean.] – that is… now I'm close, now I'm not; now I'm touching you, now I'm not; and I could go on forever but I won't pester you anymore. Go with the chapter.**

**PS – Oh and I changed - oh so subtly - my pen name. Sounds better, don't you think? Without the "Volatile" and the "Glimpse of" gets way more … ethereal :) …but – definitely - blue.**

**Disclaimer: As always.**

**Last chapter:**

_And, in the end, I was only able to recall how his words, his manners, his irony, destroyed completely any form of sympathy I could eventually feel for him. _

**Chapter 10**.

I spent three days without seeing _him_. Not even a glimpse. Nothing, at all. As before, when he had just woke up from his stasis, I only noticed his presence through slight marks, reminding me he was still there. The dishes, the shower, the clothing. He was like a ghost: he was there, but I couldn't see him.

As the week proceeded, I was only capable of thinking when – when would he leave for good. I couldn't stand his presence anymore. His attitudes… even more. I didn't want his influence on me, it was so… disturbing that my heartbeat peaked with the mere thought of him, remembering his strange attitude of late. Each time I looked at my apartment door, I pictured myself, trapped within his massive presence, ambushed in his stare. It was beyond words. It was freaking scary. And it made my stomach flutters.

The problem with all this was me, realizing what was happening. It was obvious he affected me but… this way? No, it couldn't be. There was nothing in him – beyond his physical self – that could be appealing. Nothing at all… from him, all I received was inconsideration, rudeness. No sympathy, not even an effortless "thank you".

And I had to admit it kind of made me… sad. How could someone so… daunting just behaves like a total ass? O.k., he was THE General, he had to be straightforward and impartial. I get that. But there was no reason for _not_ using a bit of… sensitivity. Well maybe he didn't have it at all, that's why.

_What are you thinking_?

Yes, what was I thinking? I must be out of my mind for thinking about him like _this_. No, this was simply the circumstances, it's gotta be… that – the freaking circumstances that seem to get me constantly… close, to him. Things get weird when…

No, just no. Think about the weather. Think about clothes. Yes, and… and… dinner. Of course, food. I was going to make something up. I had to get busy with something, I mean… there was a lot of things to do. I couldn't afford thinking about a guy who is just psychiatric. His influence is bad… terrible. Besides, he is an idiot, he is a manipulative son of a-

"Excuse me."

His voice knocked me out of my mental chastising, as I roamed around in the kitchen, not minding my surroundings.

Reflexively, my head turned to him. The general stood next to the kitchen door, scrutinizing me as usual, and all I was able to do was… gulping. I didn't know what to say. For a change.

"Care to join me?"

I opened my eyes in awe. Me? Joining him? _Talking about freezing my brain mass_...

"Where to?" I asked, not believing this. Him, me, this… situation. This was too awkward.

"The bedroom."

_I am not listening to this_…

My mind was appalled. If someone had been listening to my inner voice and, right after, his words – "_The bedroom_" –, what would they think?

Yeah, exactly _that_. Only the mere thought of it… sent a shiver running my spine.

_What. in. the world._..?

"What for." I whispered, while I stood, quiet, looking at him.

"There is something I need you to see."

_Like what_?

I hesitated. What, he wanted to show me something… really, did he? Or… did he want to… you know… trick me into something… deviant? I didn't trust him. Not a bit. God knows what that sick mind of him would-

"Seriously." He suddenly said, his face solemn. His eyes held a censoring shine, a clear sign that he – most likely – would imagine the dilemma in my inner self, and, also, (probably…) the nature of that dilemma. It was no news to him I was scared of his actions, of his… manners. Anyway it was his fault. If he wasn't such an impulsive freak I wouldn't be reacting like this, so… defensive.

"O.k." I said, my voice fragile.

With no haste, I headed to the door, passed by him and, with him in my tail, I entered his room, slowing my pace as I reached the center of the room, and I searched for his eyes. What was exactly that, he wanted me to see? My eyes questioned him, as he approached me, not leaving my stare. His movements were swift, his hair fluid, gentle, giving me the sensation he was levitating. A meter from me, he then stopped, and I was able to hear his voice.

"Through the blinds. Two o'clock."

I stared back at him, processing his words. Very well. He wanted me to peak through the window. There was no harm from doing that. _Right_? Reflexively, I approached the window and peaked through the blinds, as he told me to. At first it was a little difficult to see something. The little holes the blinds created were… really reduced and I needed to apply an extra concentration to see… whatever it was, in that concrete area.

_Right, two o'clock_.

A couple of seconds later, I realized I had spotted the element parked at that exact place.

"A car?" I asked.

"Do you recognize it?"

His voice was now behind me, and I could feel the breeze of his words hitting my scalp. Honestly, he had this terrible habit of ensnare me into some wall or… door, window… whatever. Didn't he know the meaning of "personal space"? Well. I guess he didn't.

"No." I declared.

"Really?" He asked, with obvious discredit. Really, I didn't get this guy. If I said something he did not considered adequate – according to his patterns – he threw immediately at me that stupid, arrogant, I'-m-the-one-in-charge-here tone of his. Geez, how could I stand this?

"I don't, really." I said, minding my time averting my sight from the window and facing him – in the eye. Honestly, this had to stop. I was saying the truth, I had nothing to hide.

My stare met his quickly. In a fraction of second, I could swear I saw his pupils change form. It was beyond weird – it was unnatural. His face remained unreadable. I stood there, for a while, waiting for him to say something. During all that time, I did see him blink, not even once. Or, then, he blinked synchronized with me… which was highly unlikely.

"It's there for two days." He suddenly declared.

O.k, and what did that mean, exactly?

"What?" I said, without thinking.

"Yes." He confirmed, launching a meaningful look towards the window.

I did peak through the blinds, once more. In that car, completely unknown to me, there was someone at the drivers' seat. I could only see a jacket, ordinary blue jeans… nothing more. No face, nothing that could possibly gave away the identity of such person. Apart that I believed it was a man, there was nothing else.

"There's someone inside-" I was thinking about describing what I was seeing, but the General interrupted me abruptly.

"Do you recognize that person?"

"No…" I declared. "I mean, I can't see the face but… no, I don't know who that is."

"Are you sure?" He asked, his tone filled with doubt - again.

There we go again… I could easily foretell how difficult it would be to dialogue with him... for more than two seconds.

"Yes I am sure. Why would I lie to you?" I said, my tone slightly shocked, while I turned around slowly to face him again. This time, I wanted to see the answer in his eyes. This time... I found his face closer to me than I expected. And he held that terrible gaze again – the scrutinizing one.

"You tell me." He suggested, his tone lower than usual, raising oh so softly his eyebrows. O.k. Maybe it was better for me just to pretend he wasn't ravaging me with his eyes and… that his proximity was simply disturbing, not to mention… teasing.

_No, don't go that way, Sora_. _Focus. Now_.

My mind, as always, the rational one, pulling me to reality. Right. Lately I was failing miserably at that, too. O.k., I had to give him something. An explanation, whatever. Even if it was idiot.

"Listen… maybe there is someone new at the vicinity-"

"Don't be ridiculous." He interrupted, again. "The person in that car doesn't leave, except at lunch and dinner time."

Wow, he really was paranoid, after all. What, he had been watching for the last two days the movement around the area?

"So… what are you trying to say? Do you think someone is watching…"

"Most likely."

O.k.. Was this some conspiracy theory or what? It didn't make any damn sense.

"But it is impossible that someone could know about you… alive…"

"Is it?"

And a little bit more of his irritating doubting tone. Ah, this was simply unbearable!

"No one saw me the night I brought you here." I asserted, already annoyed with his suspicions.

"Can you assure that?"

"Listen-"

"You can't, can you?"

_Why are you so freaking mean?_ Yes, that's what I would like to say at him. To shout at him, right into his perfect… remarkable…face. As a result, I answered him choosing carefully my words.

"I am no military. I don't know how to make a _rescue plan _properly. So stop throwing back my incapability at me all the time."

His stare reflected no surprise, as a reaction to my words. That frustrated me, to a point. I mean, his words were harsh, unkind and affected me immensely. And I… didn't have that power in him. Really, it did annoy me.

"This is no game." He said, his speech ironically slow in my direction.

"I never thought this was a game." I replied, matching my tone with his.

"What did you think, then?" He asked again, not bothering to change his posture, tone and voice. He was so cruel. O.k., he had gotten me.

"I… don't know." I confessed, avoiding his eyes. The image of that volatile woman, talking to me, invaded my mind in less than a second. It was all her fault. She was the responsible of all this. I hadn't thought of anything when I had saved the General. She had done all the thinking for me. And I had been completely lost in her words, her voice, her influence, unable to think straight.

"You don't want to tell me."

His tone was suddenly accusing. _Fuck_. Didn't he understand I _couldn't_ tell him that? God, why was he so insistent with this? And how did he know I was hiding _this_ from him? How, how?

"I have nothing to tell you. Stop being so paranoid about it."

I knew it, it was aggressive from me to say such things but… he had asked for it. I was getting tired of his inflated resolve, by now. I wouldn't tell him. I couldn't. That was simply it.

_He wouldn't believe me. No one would_. My mind reasoned, while I resumed turning, again, towards the window, peaking through the blinds - once more - only to conclude the same as before.

"Honestly, I don't know who that is or who might be. But one thing I can guarantee you: I didn't call for anybody."

"Never said you did."

"But are constantly implying I gave you in." I retorted, turning to look back at him once more."Why is it so hard for you to believe what I tell you?"

"You tell me. Is there anything I need to know of?"

_O.k, this is completely unreasonable._

"What do you mean with that?"

"Why are you running?"

_Fuck. Bastard. Why are you asking me that, again_? My mind was now angry, loosing completely the sense of adequacy.

"No." I said, nodding at him, my head moving in consonance with my words. "Not this conversation, again."

"You should tell me."

_Right, I should tell you. Just fuck off_.

"I don't have to tell you anything." I retorted, my tone low. My patience was now running low.

"Really?" He insisted.

_Damn you general, you really know how to annoy me greatly_.

"Yes."

"Then why are we under surveillance? This is no authority car. This is someone working alone." His sudden confession startled me. What did that mean, being under surveillance by someone not related with authority? And how could he possibly know that, for certain? This was insane!

"How do you know that?" I inquired, still looking at him, as usual. This time, his stare didn't frighten me. This time, his stare was only reassuring, confirming what I knew all along. He knew, he was sure, simply because he was who he was, and he would not offer me any justification. I was able to sense that conviction in his green, alien gaze.

"I just know."

_Bingo_. O.k, so if he was so know-it-all, surely he could come up with a solution. He was _the_ General, after all.

"So what do you suggest?"

My tone, my voice, my posture screamed defiance. I knew I was crossing the line, talking this way to him, an impulsive person, a man who killed others without mercy… and I knew I was simply pressing the right buttons, confronting him so openly. But he deserved it. He had earned every bit of anger I was throwing at him right now.

And it would have worked – my attitude would have been perfect, if he hadn't been so sneaky.

"Who was he?"

His words hit me like a one-ton rock. How could I have been so naïve? What was I thinking? I had no chance of winning with him. He could always find my weakness, he could always find a way to destroy my arguments, reducing me to a whole nothing.

"Would you…" I started, losing myself in my hard breathing. "Would you stop? I can't take this anymore."

My body reactions gave away the uneasiness I felt. I moved from the window and I moved, towards the door. He didn't try to stop me, thankfully. However, I did hear his voice one more time.

"What did he do?"

I stopped - I froze, actually, when I was almost reaching the door. His words were too direct. I wondered vaguely if he actually knew something about me and if this was simply a way of torturing me. His words made me remember, again, the images I was trying so hard to forget… the marks I was trying so hard to cover… the cruelty I was trying so hard to erase from my past. Without thinking, I was only capable of answering, while I left, towards my own bedroom:

"Shut up. Just shut up."

**A/N – AH, the sweet despair. Sora's so screwed, really. **

**So, who's the mystery person out there? Would it be Shinra guys? Would it be someone that knows the General is alive after all? Who would it be…? Huummmm. I wonder if Sephiroth's feeling holds in solid ground… **

**What do YOU think? Wanna share? Let me know then:) Review and leave your opinion! **

**No teaser this time, ONLY BECAUSE it will ruin the suspense here. And I don't want to influence your judgment. Let me know; let me know what you think! Can't wait!**


	13. Chapter 11

**A/N – I was extremely pleased with your reviews! You give me really a good impulse into the writing, again. **

**As always, I would like to thank to **_**The Ninja and The writer**_** for your good humor and for reviewing the last chapter at the speed of light, really that was awesome. **_**Akamura**_**, you rock – nice theories, I enjoyed very much your feedback, keep on it. **_**Takara**_**, my thanks to you and your though words. You do review with few yet powerful words. :) **_**Kit the Neko**_**, thanks a LOT for sharing your opinion. And finally, **_**Ikuni Hattori**_** – what would I do without your reviews, ha?**

**To all of you, thank you for your kind words, for sharing opinions, trans-atlantic conversations, European chit-chat, etcetera. You are great and I can only hope to continue writing a story that you enjoy reading, until its very end. ****[****It's not even close, don't worry. The end, I mean.] **

**To all of YOU who read but do not comment, I thank you all as well – and I would thank you in public like I always do with those who review. **

**Oh and a big shout out to **_**dragondeathqueen **_**for adding this story to your fav's. It's nice to know I'm on your fav list. :)**

**O.k, Ok, I'll stop being lame and go on with it, right! After all, you're all dying to know who the hell is outside anyway. *blinks* **

**Disclaimer: As always.**

**Last chapter:**

_Without thinking, I was only capable of answering, while I left, towards my own bedroom:_

"_Shut up. Just shut up."_

**Chapter 11**.

Women. They are too susceptible.

I couldn't pressure her more than this, or the woman would collapse. She told me the truth, almost every time we spoke. Usually, when I asked her a question, her answer was always truthful – I felt _it_ in her. The honesty in her feeble speech, as well as the anger my comments incited in her. Her reactions towards me - were almost funny.

However, I could sense her avoidance towards a specific matter: the context of my finding. She was hiding something from me, and it was something that scared her. Every time I made her recall the event, her complexion gave away her guilt, her… trouble.

I wondered why that would be. If there wasn't anyone behind this, then why would she react like this? Would it be some kind of threat? Would it be the company, Shinra, suspecting something?

I honestly didn't know what it was. However I did have this… hunch, warning me that this isolated event wasn't of Shinra making. No, Rufus and his party would never behave such way. This was sloppy, so unlike Shinra's personal guard. I, better than anyone, knew that, since I had been an elite member in their corporation. This was way too… regular for a military exercise as important as… getting the world's greatest general from his temporary hide-out.

No, something was – definitely - happening. And I was going to find it out. Oh, yes. I would find out.

I let myself sigh, approaching the window – again. That car was still there. The person inside it, dressed as a civilian. And it was a man. I could sense that, the way he moved, the way he felt… raged. I didn't know though if he was here for me or… for her.

Both were viable options.

This woman… there was something about her past that justified her reactions, her way of living. Her last reaction, nonetheless, was the ultimate proof I needed to make sure this woman – definitely –had someone chasing her. I didn't know why… but I had my suspicions. Her eyes transmitted too many grief and pain, for someone so young.

We shall see how this would proceed.

* * *

God, I hated him. HOW I hated this man!

This sick bastard had this twisted pleasure in torturing me, teasing my mind… Argh.

Oh if I could only kick him out of my house! I would, I would if I had a huge sword like he did and… if I was strong and … like him. But I wasn't. I was just a woman, fragile, incapable of reacting… decently.

My room was a total mess. And I was so pissed over his comments I… felt like slapping him until his face would not exist anymore!

I sat by the bed, looking at my bare hands. What would I-

A sudden noise took me out of my reverie. Wait, what was that?

And, two seconds later, the same noise again.

Oh. It was only the door bell.

Getting up and exiting my room, I found immediately the intense stare coming out of someone who stood exactly in front of me, next to the half-open door of his room. The General, himself, stood, towering over me, his face serious, his posture static, cold and… in his left hand, he hold the hugest piece of metal I had seen in my life. It was the… sword. That disproportionate thing I had found next him, and now, I had to admit to myself, it fitted him as a glove. It was like it was made purposely to him, to shape his form, his… strength. All about him screamed power. And he didn't have his freaking leather coat on, or the gloves. He was just all in black, with the clothes I had bought for him. And yet, he remained like… intimidating.

"Would you get that thing away from me?" I said, while I looked back at him, realizing the sword hit the wall next to my feet. Damn, that thing was massive.

"Are you going to get that?" He asked, referring to the doorbell.

"I'll check first who's at the door, obviously."

He answered me with silence, and I wished he hadn't. His stillness was even worse than his ruthless words towards me.

"Don't just stay in there, get inside the room. Whoever it is, surely will watch much more TV than I do."

Yes, my mind was fuming and my harsh speech was a blunt reflection of it. My subtle reference to my innocent un-knowledge of the happenings around me and, in concrete, to himself, didn't miss him.

"That wouldn't be too difficult to perceive."

"Just hide yourself." I said, answering coldly to his provocation. Honestly, what an idiot.

When I get to the door I peeked, to see who it was. With a sudden intake of air, I could not believe the image my eyes were processing.

It was that pestering neighbor or mine. Regina.

_Oh God, what else will happen to me? What. else._

I opened the door to find an extremely smiley wrinkled face. I just wondered, what on Earth would she want from me.

"Sora, dear!"

I laughed weakly, still looking at her. Man I really hated when she called me that.

"Hi…"

"I was just wondering about you, lately."

Really?

"Oh." I said, my face with false surprise all over.

"Is your brother well, dear? I still haven't see h-"

"He's asleep right now." I said, faster than I expected. No way I was going to give her further explanations. "But he's… doing better, I think."

My mind filled with images of the General. Him, grabbing my arm against the door. Him, scrutinizing me next to his bedroom' window. Definitely, it was a much distorted concept of… _doing better_, whatever it meant.

"I wanted to give you something. For both of you."

What?

"Regina, really, that's not necess-"

"I made you a cake. Chocolate and Strawberry, your favourite."

God now I felt really bad with myself for calling her (mentally) old hag. I felt speechless.

"I hope your brother likes it too."

Yeah, right…

"He will…" I said, while I left my lips draw a week smile, hoping she would not ask much more questions. "Thank you, Regina, that's really… thoughtful."

"Don't mention it dear." She smiled, back at me. "I will bring it when it's done."

"O.k. Thank you."

Closing the door, I could only sigh with relief, supporting my forehead in the door, breathing loudly. O.k., this was consuming me. This, having a psychotic criminal hiding my apartment was… unbearable.

I walked though the hall, headed to my own room. But I didn't get there. Well, not completely… because when I reached the door, I realized there was other door open. His door. His bedroom door. I looked, reflexively. And I could only find his stare, once again, censoring my attitude. He was resting his back next to the door frame, his arms crossed. Man, it was some view. I was even able to perceive the bulge his muscles designed underneath his garment. His hair was – amazingly – the most absorbing feature. It fell along his form in such an elegant way I could not resist, simply, to stare (in awe, I must add). O.k., I was behaving terribly here.

"What?" I said, my eye-brows rising.

"Honestly, a cake?" He mocked, a one-sided smile filling his complexion. Man, what a sight. It was as petrifying as beautiful, the way his face seemed to change when he simply… smiled. I guess I had never seen him smile. No, definitely I hadn't.

"What's the matter? It's just a cake." I said, doing my best to give him an uninterested stance. Really, I couldn't let him realize he had such disturbing effect on me.

"You're naïve." He said, a tone filled with sarcasm.

"And you're paranoid."

The words left my mouth so fast I couldn't have stopped them, even if I wanted. I felt triumphant, to be honest. But his face changed so fast I immediately regretted it.

"Don't push it."

"Or?"

Damn he was really asking for it. My attitude couldn't have been more defiant than _that_.

"You know it." He said, his tone low, slowly walking in my direction. _Oh-uh_.

"What is it that I know?" I said, more like a whisper. Oh my God, the freak show was about to begin… again. I instantly moved, only to find the wall behind me. I let myself rest against it, maintaining a posture as normal as I was able, considering… considering I had a very annoyed person walking towards me, eyeing me like I had committed some capital crime or something.

A meter from me, he stopped – thankfully, he was giving me space to… breathe?

"Why don't tell me how you found me?"

Shit, this again. Really he had a terrible timing to perform his interrogating methods.

"I told you, I w-"

I wanted to justify myself, I wanted to tell him over and over again I had found him randomly. But he didn't believe me. God, how did he get to know me this well?

"Your tasks did not involve the reactor. Maintenance is not responsible for its integrity." Oh, I was so fucked right now. "Now, who told you I was there?"

"I…" My voice remained speechless. What would I tell him right now? I felt honestly like a mouse trapped in a little small cage… without cheese in it.

I tried to gather myself, avoiding his stare for a moment and focusing in the wall instead. This was a dreadful thing to say… to put into words… it was simply painful.

"You wouldn't believe it…" I said, my voice week, as I drew my breath out. It was like I was having an asthma attack or something, this suffocating feeling I was experiencing.

Suddenly, he moved… towards me. I felt the movement of his hair hitting my arm, the exposed skin goose-bumping with the process. He wasn't as close as before – as so many times he was so close to me I was almost capable of tasting his skin, of smelling his soul. It was a very distressing feeling. He left a considerate space between us, enough for me to move, at least. His eyes were on me the whole time. I sensed it, even if I wasn't looking back. God, I could bet he was going to touch me again. He seemed to do that… everytime he wanted me to say something he wanted to know and that I refused to share.

Damn. He had caught me, completely. I was so doomed.

And then, I felt his hand, his fingers in my chin, my left jaw. Warm, gentle and soft fingers easily turned my week stare into his own, while he proffered the words, as slowly as he persuaded me into letting myself go and go astray … within him.

"Who, Sora?"

My mouth opened slightly, considering his question. Should I tell him… or not? His persuasion was terribly seductive. He knew perfectly I was reconsidering. He knew pretty well by now _how_ he could get information from me. He knew, by now, that he would get everything he wanted, any information at all, only by being caring and tender. That was only it. Good manners, nice ways. And he would get everything from me.

"There was t-"

The door bell rang again, interrupting my speech and freeing me from his stare, for a few moments. It was somehow liberating, this feeling of let-go-of-me-I-gotta-get-the-door-now-ok?

He let my chin and face quickly, as he stepped back slowly. He didn't say a word. He only resumed himself into his bedroom and closed the door, not making a noise.

I stood next to the wall for a couple of seconds. Man, how did I get to this? Letting a guy having such control over me? This was insane.

The doorbell rang again, reminding me of my imminent task.

Oh, right, that was it. _The door_. _Regina_.

I walked, quickly. I reached the door handle and I opened it widely, hoping the old hag wouldn't take much time with the cake delivery. I wasn't really with patience to put up with-

However my mind did freeze when I realized it wasn't Regina in the front door. My voice did disappear as my mind processed the image I had in front of me, the person now standing, hoping obviously for me to say something, to react. I recognized immediately the jacket, the jeans… this was the man in the car. This was the man doing all the surveillance, as the general so well had suspected.

However this man wasn't here for him… it was here… for me. My mind remembered now the coldness of his face, the sick stare in his eyes, the hard design of his complexion, mixed with the slightly disheveled hair style he now wore.

I couldn't think. I couldn't speak. I couldn't move. All I did was hear his words, while he smiled, genuinely happy… while he smiled, raged imbibed in his cold stare.

"Sora. Finally, I found you."

**A/N – AH! Sweet reveeeeennngeee! Powerful, isn't it? Review, and leave your opinion, my dear readers!**

**Sorry, no teaser available. The real word is being really though on me this week…**


	14. Chapter 12

**A/N – So, there you go people. One more – Ah, the intensity LOL!**

**I really hope you enjoy this. Today is a very special day for me – it's my BDay! And since I enjoy immensely receiving gifts, I decided to give you all an update, as a gift to you, my faithful readers! I'll post the next chapter this week 'cause the story is reaching a turning point. I would hate to leave you with a loose end during the holidays.**

**So, now the **_**thanks**_** department! **

**My sincere thanks to those 5 readers that keep on reviewing ever since, always with such kind words, sharing opinions and so much more. You guys rock and I honestly don't know what I would do without your support. T_T Oh, the tears…**

**So, **_**Akamura**_**, my dear friend, a day isn't a day if I don't msg you LOL. Even if it's for commenting about the weather. **_**Ikuni**_**, thanks so much for your words and 100 chopsticks LOL I wish I could have sushi every damn day LOL I kid, that would be totally insane. **_**The Ninja and the Writer**_** - as always, your ideas are hilarious. From your comments to your stories;) you really explore aspects I wouldn't dream of. I'm just sayin'.**

_**TaKara**_**, thanks for your (short yet incisive) comment:) **_**Kit the Neko**_**, sorry about leaving you so many time without oxygen LOL no, really, I hope this chapter may breathe air into you, literally :)**

Ah, so… let's go get to it.

**Last chapter**:

_(…) My mind remembered now the coldness of his face, the sick stare in his eyes, the hard design of his complexion, mixed with the slightly disheveled hair style he now wore. _

_I couldn't think. I couldn't speak. I couldn't move. All I did was hear his words, while he smiled, genuinely happy… while he smiled, raged imbibed in his cold stare. _

"_Sora. Finally, I found you."_

**Chapter 12.**

An infinite moment passed by, silence crushing me… us, until a large, hard hand met my throat and enveloped my neck sooner than I expected.

"Let … go… of me…" I said, while he eased himself inside my own house, closing slowly the door behind him, as calm as a freaking psychopath. Right, I recognized very well this type of calm… I had someone with that kind of calm in the spare room of my apartment.

His grip on me was tight, and I tried to ease up the pressure with my own hands, but I couldn't. His touch was so familiar to me. I remembered it so well, how he used to slap me and, after that, caressed my face as softly as a feather. _He's insane_, I though, _simply insane_…

Yes, he was - insane. _Both_ of them, I corrected, inwardly.

His movement made me step back, at his pace. My breathing was erratic… my heart pounded in my chest. I couldn't breathe, I was feeling desperate…

What was going to happen from here? He, _the demon_, had found me. This man, the person I had lived with and the one that almost beat me to death, was here, now, for me. What was I going to do? How was I going to escape from here… from him, again?

"Why so harsh manners, my dear? I came for you, to bring you back, to our house."

Oh my God. No. Not _that_, again.

"This is my house." I said, my voice week.

"Is it?" He insisted, a blunt mocking tone. O.k., where was this leading? At this rate, we would reach the end of the hall quickly. And I didn't want it to happen. I was hiding a criminal, for God' sake! My back reached the closest wall before I could even notice.

"I'm not coming with you." I added, disgust filling my core.

"Of course you will. You are my wife, Sora." He demanded, his face almost distorted with anger. I recognized very well that face. It was the face he used to wear when he was about to beat the hell out of me.

"No I'm not. We never married. I am not your wife." I said, while I watched him shift his grip from my throat to my arm, squeezing it unbearably. Ok, that was _not_ a good sign.

"Why are you being so unfair, my Sora?"

"You're hurting me." I screamed, closing my eyes and grabbing his hand with mine, trying to soften his grip on me, but to no avail. "And I'm not _your_ Sora." I said, through clenched teeth, while I looked at him, that face I thought of so many times before as caring and loving. Oh, how wrong I was back then. And how right I was right now.

"Shut UP!" He suddenly screamed, in my direction, approaching both our faces, making me tremble with fear. He was sick, repulsive to my core. And he smelled like alcohol. "Yes YOU ARE. You are MINE, you hear me? MINE. And I'm going to take you back to where you belong."

"Let me g-" I was going to start talking, telling him to let go of me, but I couldn't end the sentence, because I felt a hand dorsum in my face in that exact moment. It was such a strong hit I almost fell to the ground with it. My vision filled with little white and black dots all of the sudden, a sharp feeling in my face emerging, only to spread completely into my eye, jaw and ear. It was simply painful. Reacting, my shaking hands grabbed my face, protecting the area that had been hit. I almost burst into tears, but – miraculously -, my eyes did not betray me this time.

"It's your fault. YOU made me do this to you."

His voice was so close to me, to my form, suggesting his intentions towards me, his actions so sickeningly evident it was… nauseating.

"Don't touch me you…fucking bastard…" I whispered, maintaining my defensive stance, as he remained glued to my form, his arms holding my fragile form, his hands stroking my back, his mouth breathing next to my hands, which remained covering my face, since the moment he had hit me.

"You insult me. How can I live with such an offensive slut?"

His words were only the verbal manifestation of his rage. And I knew that, because I felt the hold of his arms and hands squeezing me, compressing my form to an almost painful extent, revealing how decided he was on hitting me, again.

"Don't. Please…" I begged, my voice failing, wondering if I would even bear another blow from him. He was too strong, he always had been. I couldn't stand a chance against him.

"See, aren't you just tender now. All you need is a little reprimand, that's all." He declared, with his psychotic tone, his right hand traveling around my waist and his fingers caressing my stomach, my abdomen… it was sordid, his touch on me. I couldn't stand it anymore.

"Get away from me!" I said, almost screaming, at the verge of crying, my voice nearly cracking when I removed my hands from my face and stared at him, breathing loudly. His reaction didn't appear to change, at all... on the contrary.

"Now, don't be such cry-baby, Sora."He declared, smiling ironically and almost closing the space between our faces. He continued then, with an obvious lascivious tone… "It makes me want you even more…"

My heart almost stopped at the sound of his words. Not only he was raged at me, he was also _needy_. I couldn't bear the mere thought of him ravaging me. I couldn't stand the thought of his bare skin touching mine, once so craving, but now so repelling.

However, it seemed that he was able to read my mind or something. Or, then, I just knew him too well yet – after all, I had lived with him, for two years, 24/7. Abruptly, I felt the warm feeling of his hand in my underwear – namely, my bra. He had quickly unbuttoned my shirt and he was avidly searching for the skin underneath it. I could only gasp at the sensation, which almost made me scream with repugnance. However he did not stop there. His hand quickly traveled to the hem of my jeans, where he started to unbutton it, as well. This time, I felt the sudden need of saying something. I had to react, and fast, or he would continue with torturing and would certainly rape me right here, next to this wall.

"Don't… touch m-"

My squeaky speech was suddenly interrupted with someone else's voice, a rather commanding voice and yet, so… obvious.

"Enough." I heard the General say. In such stress, I didn't even remember he was there. Yes, he had been there, the whole time, listening… and God knows what else. After all, I had been trapped right across the wall of his bedroom. I felt a sudden wave of shame washing over me; it was really humiliating, the thought of the general might have seen how this disgusting person had touched me only a few moments ago.

However, I was only capable of breathing out in relief. I didn't know why, but the feeling that swept over me was exactly that one.

On the contrary, my attacker seemed bluntly surprised, even though his grip on still remained as before. Anger was all over his face, this time more obvious, as he heard the voice of a man coming out behind him. He never left my eyes, my face, he didn't bother in turning to see who was speaking at him, after all. Well, more likely ordering.

"What is this, Sora? Have you replaced me just yet?"

_Oh-uh_.

"N-No, I…"

"How dare you, YOU BITCH?"

After his words exited his mouth, his arm rose and I instantly knew what was going to happen. His hand transformed into a fist, and he was preparing his attack. I didn't have time to say anything, I only prepared myself to receive the hit that certainly would break me some ribs or some bones in my face. And the pain that would follow… I knew it, I was already familiar with it. I waited, patiently, for that pain to come. I waited, as I was used to.

However, the hit was taking too much. What happened? Why wasn't his fist reaching my body, now?

"I said… Enough."

That voice, again. _His_ voice. The general had spoken again. Everything was so still around us. It was like time had really stopped, for an infinite second.

Then I realized why my attacker couldn't hit me. I realized why his fist was taking so long in meeting its destination. That was because he had his arm immobilized. I was only capable of seeing the paleness of one of the General's hand against the dark fabric covering the wrist of my attacker, keeping his appendage high, in a most certain uncomfortable position. I could feel such discomfort flowing out of my aggressor, personified with a slightly tremor.

In that moment, such a dark hour, I felt a pang of hope flowing inside me.

Then, something happened. There was an acute, _whoosh_ sound, I couldn't precise what it was, from where it came from. It seemed like a soft yet fast breeze, blowing somewhere above my head. It was all around me, it even made my hair move according to its motion… then it disappeared and all I could see was… black.

And that was so not because I had been attacked by some sudden blindness, but because the lights were completely out. The hall lamp had been destroyed and all I could see was… nothing. All I could hear… was the crushing sound of silence surrounding me.

Then, inevitably, the action started. I felt myself free from that imposing male form and I let myself sit in the floor, the wall assisting me with the process. I didn't move, I only stared at the nothingness in front of me… and yet, my hearing was processing the strangest sounds ever.

There was no _whoosh_ sound again, at least that I could sense it. However there was grunting, gasping and dry, smashing sounds I didn't know to whom belonged. Those sounds reminded me of hits, punching and bones breaking. I knew it, because I had ear it all before… in myself. It was a similar sound, though.

And then again, so fast, those sounds, mixed with hasty footsteps, were moving… away from me. Whatever was happening, a distance was being created. And, clearly, they were moving towards the door. The exit door.

It was inevitable, this feeling of relief I was experiencing. Something was telling me the General was leading my attacker towards the door. I could only hope my feelings weren't playing tricks on me.

All of the sudden, I heard the door open. My door, the exit door. A faint light imbibed the hall, and in that moment I was capable of discerning the frames, the shapes that seemed to move so fast that it was simply…unnatural. There was hair flowing, a long hair I far recognized as belonging to him, the General. It moved so elegantly, according to his gestures… in that moment, he reminded me the volatility and the grace of that female specter, once so entwined with me, so decided in talking me into saving him… the general, slumbering, lost in that strange place.

They seemed like living shadows, dancing in slow motion, a dance far from typical, obviously lead by that man who seemed to have the grace of an elf. I know, it was an idiotic thinking, but the dark fed my imagination terribly.

His hands, his arms, his grip, seemed to torn that piece of fragile human, once so threatening. Now, my attacker seemed more like a child being spanked by someone whose cruelty didn't have limits, whose patience had run out long ago.

Finally, I did not see my attacker anymore. The general was only the main shadowy figure by the door, by the end of the hall, so far from where I sat, from where my form rested and my mind wondered about… nothing, at all. I felt empty. My face was burning, aching, pulsing.

I heard then a noise, a sound of someone tripping, falling. It gave me the sensation it involved stairs and, after that, solid ground.

But afterward dark took me once more. It took me a considerate amount of time to realize the door was already closed and locked. There were footsteps, in my direction. There was… Light, finally, somewhere from the kitchen lamp.

I couldn't say anything, I couldn't move. I could only see the way the General moved in my direction, slowly, scrutinizing me as usual, while I focused in some random point of the wall next to him.

He approached me and all I could discern were his legs, his boots. And then, finally, I heard him say something.

"So now I realize from whom you were running from after all."

**A/N – Yeah, yeah, right! It's freaking easy to say that right now, isn't it? **

**SO let me know your opinion. And, since today it's my Bday, you could all be extra-cute and review more than usual. What do you think? **

**Oh and, of course, I'll pop up the question… what will happen next? What will Seph do?**

**a)Hold Sora and cry with her**

**b) Beat the hell out of her**

**c) Show-off w/ his sword, breaking what's left of the lamps in that apartment.**

**d) Just stare at her, as his new-self rather enjoy.**

**e) Talk to her and checks on her integrity.**

**[Only one option correct.]**


	15. Chapter 13

**A/N – Well, glad for me to know you all (who reviewed) had a blast answering the question by the end of the last chapter. It got dynamic, to say the least. And funny for me to read your reviews, honestly. However I was really frustrated no one commented about the comparison I made (last chapter) concerning Sephiroth's grace beating the assy BF – like an elf! O.K, no one found it funny? Well, I guess no… :P **

**Now, Thanks to **_**Akamura**_** – as always, a faithful reader and nice partner in chat:); Kit the Neko, nice review – you got the gold medal for speed-at-reviewing LOL and there you go, another blow of oxygen; Ikuni Hattori, my partner in sushi :) , supporting and cute as always! Takara, what would I do without your incisive comments? :) The Ninja and the Writer – let's hope this chapter won't disappoint you.**

**Oh and to 911, thanks for adding this story to you fav list. It's nice to know there are so much of you favoring my story. It makes me feel really happy.**

**Oh and concerning the correct option – it was E). Really, it wasn't that difficult :) You'll see how things turn out this chapter.**

**And I'm gonna have to say I'll be out for a whole week without updating – personal reasons, but nothing that serious really – but as soon as I get the chance, I'll update. I'll leave you with this chapter for you to think about the several options available from now on. **

**Sorry the chapter is not as big as I would like to but I had to leave things in a stand-point.**

**So, let's get to what matters! **

_**Last chapter:**_

_I couldn't say anything, I couldn't move. I could only see the way the General moved in my direction, slowly, scrutinizing me as usual, while I focused in some random point of the wall next to him. _

_He approached me and all I could discern were his legs, his boots. And then, finally, I heard him say something. _

"_So now I realize from whom you were running from after all."_

**Chapter 13.**

His tone was so ironic and sarcastic I couldn't help feeling absolutely miserable. How could this man be such an ass after what I had been through?

Unfortunelately, my body did not help – in any way – the situation I was in. I wasn't capable of moving not even an inch, my face and head rested partially against the wall, supporting all the weight of my head. My hair certainly would be a mess, considering it fell all over my face, anarchically. My body was like an empty battery – all my energy had been worn out, or so it seemed. Not to mention my face ached like hell.

And my eyes were holding a terrible pressure – I was really close to cry, I knew it. And yet those black, leather boots, that belonged to that person standing right there in front of me, were quiet. In there I remained sat, not wanting to know what would follow. I hadn't really absorbed what did really happen not a minute ago. I couldn't …believe it. He had saved me. The General _had_ saved me. That man, responsible for such a massive slaughtering not a month from here… had saved my life. This was insane.

Suddenly I heard him move; he was crouching, in front of me. Even in that position, I couldn't see his face. Really, he was freaking tall. However his stare was on me, I could feel it. His eyes were fixed in details of my anatomy, I couldn't precise what were those.

After some uncomfortable seconds, I caught a glimpse of his gesture. Slowly, his right hand went straight to my face, reaching my left malar bone. At the simple touch of his fingers in my face, I couldn't help but to whimper, at the sting it caused me.

"Relax, I'm just checking your integrity." He said, a low tone. His touch was warm, but his exploration really was hurting me. It almost made my head burst with pain. Shamelessly, tears fell, dotting my clothes and reaching his fingers. My face didn't move not gave away the discomfort I was feeling. I was too worn out to react.

His face changed slightly at the feeling of wet, salty water drops running through my face. I didn't get what was his problem with tears. It was like he was witnessing something extremely out of the ordinary. I couldn't get it, really. His hand retracted some moments after and I heard his voice, again, this time with military exactitude.

"No broken bones. Just bruises. You'll be fine."

And, with that, he got up and turned around, his back to me. I remained in silence, not wanting to believe his words and actions. O.k, it was fine he had the decency of checking if I had broken bones but hey, was he going to leave me there, sitting shamelessly in the hall, like an abandoned piece of furniture?

I moved – with some difficulty, I might add – and turned my head to him, trying to find him, his stare, his figure, whatever he had to offer me. How could he be so cold? How could he just treat me like this?

My eyes found a huge form with its back to me. he was standing, still, looking into something I couldn't understand what it was. What, the bare white wall in front of him was that interesting to observe? The way the feeble kitchen light hit us, made him look strangely similar to that specter, the day I had seen it, back in the reactor. His grey, shiny hair hit full length at his back and part of his shoulders, while his dark clothes made him look almost angelic, in the shadowy environment surrounding us.

A terribly bizarre beauty… yes, that was exactly what this man perspired.

"I suppose… you will have to escape, again."

His words almost startled me. A very reasonable thinking. And he was right, I knew it… he knew it. I would have to run, again, God knows to where. And, this time, I didn't have anyone to help me. My mouth wasn't able of forming a sentence. I just remained still, quiet, in silence, answering him with muted words.

"I can make you an offer."

I could only bug my eyes at his speech.

"W-Wha…at?" My fragile voice was heard. I was mesmerized, still looking at his back, while he stood there. Until he, slowly, turned to face me, his eyes meeting mine. It was an appalling stare. Necessary, and yet… so absorbing. His fair face remained the same as I always remembered since the day he had woke up from his slumber. A mask of neutrality, seriousness and repression.

"I can make you disappear." He said.

I couldn't believe this. Why was he telling me this? Could he read my mind? Was he able of guessing my needs?

"Why would you-" I was going to ask him why, why on Earth would he help me, why would he… care about what I needed to do or not? What was the catch, anyway? However he didn't let me finish the flimsy question I was about to ask him.

"To repay you."

_What?_

"I don't-"

"Just listen. I will be headed someplace, no one knows where it is. Only me."

O.k. Now was my turn to remain speechless. His eyes lingered in mine, the whole time, when suddenly I saw him crouch again in front of me, allowing our stare to become more balanced. He rested his forearms in his legs, so close to his knees, his face a mirroring something I couldn't grasp what it was. It was a different feeling, a strange emotion, pouring from that amazing complexion. Finally, he talked.

"There will be rules. My rules. But no one will find you."

"And where-"

"Are you willing to accept my terms or not?"

I felt, all of a sudden, so fragile in front of him, almost trapped in his tangled web of words and sudden propositions. A shiver ran all over me.

"What are those… terms?" I asked, lastly.

"Trust, respect and no questions."

His answer hit me like a five-ton hammer. It took me some time to process his words… each one of them more powerful than the last one. My mind couldn't stay in silence and I, eventually, exposed my line of thinking.

"I have to… trust you, respect you and ask no questions?"

"Exactly."

O.K, this was truly insane. Definitely. But I was willing to bet things weren't that simple. He couldn't be doing me a favor just because. That wasn't like _the general_, at all.

"And what do you want in return?" I asked him, trying not to avert my eyes from his. God, this hurt so much. This pain, this feeling of mutual usage and dependence was frustrating and made me feel like cattle, easily sold and traded.

"Your domestic skills. No different from what you do right now."

"And that's it?"

"That's it."

My eyes left his and I stared at my hands instead. What would I do? What were my chances of surviving the wrath of a crazy ex-boyfriend who seemed determined to persecute me to every corner of the Earth? How could I survive alone? How could I face the world outside, beaten up and treated lower than an animal?

I knew the answer to those questions. My heart, constricted inside my chest, felt sore, my hurt mind was confused. And I didn't have anyone to rely on. I was alone… I always had been.

Except for now. He, The General, was offering me freedom, a chance in a place where I couldn't be found. A chance of a new life in an unknown place, to every living soul... except for himself.

This chance was exactly what I had been looking for.

"I accept." I said, making eye-contact with him, again. His stare was still on me and I could almost bet he knew I was going to give him this answer. The unavoidability imbibed in his complexion was obvious. Truth is I didn't even realize what I was doing. I was desperate…I didn't have a chance without his help… I was lost in this world… and he knew it. We both knew it.

Trusting blindly this man was completely unwise… he was a sociopath, a strange person… someone who had saved my life, tonight. That was an inescapable fact. That had been the reason of my decision. Despite all of his issues and intolerable bad temper, he had never hurt me. He had never attempted against me. And I was alive now… because of him.

For me, that was enough reason for me to… trust him.

"Very well." He said, rising again into his previous position. "Pack. Now. Only your essentials. To where we are going you don't need anything else."

**A/N . And now, what? What's going to happen? What's your premonition guys? Let me know! Review and comment like crazy, people!**

**So you know I'll be absent for some days now so you'll have plenty of time to think about the probable outcome of this part of the story. Where are they going? Where's that place Seph mentioned? Why did he give her a chance to go with him? (Yeah, I know, that's a tricky one!) Is he planning something? And, most important of all… How will they deal with the neighbor that has the cake almost done? LOL**

**DON't forget to share your opinion. I would love to know which theories do you have about what's going to happen from now on. **

**(**_**I'm A Glimpse of Ethereal Blue and I approve this message**_**)**

… _**So tell me guys, what's your question for this chapter?**_

**[Ok, I know, that's far from original but at least it's funny. And I do my best for my readers&reviewers to have a good time]:) **


	16. Turning Point

**A/N – This small chapter is dedicated to those who reviewed – Akamura, Takara, The Ninja and the Writer, Ikuni Hattori, Kit the Neko – because your reviews inspired me to write this in less than an hour and to ease your mind. You were so curious about so many things… I decided to give you some answers. Hope you like it:)**

**And, btw, that hedious spelling mistake was already taken care of:) I underlined the word. So I hope everything's fine now. :D**

_**Last chapter:**_

"_Very well." He said, rising again into his previous position. "Pack. Now. Only your essentials. To where we are going you don't need anything else."_

…**Turning Point...**

As expected, he didn't help me getting up. I sat there, next to the wall, for at least five minutes, trying to get a grip on myself, trying to convince myself I had done the right thing, that I had decided correctly. The perspective of going with _him_ – wherever that place was – was as terrible as calming.

With difficulty, I rose from my miserable position, using the wall as a lever, and I went to my bedroom. He had told me to pack my essentials… and fast. Maybe I should hurry, then.

Feeling kind of lost, I looked around. My room was hectic and I didn't know where to begin. O.k, I had to focus. First, I searched for my bag pack; once in the closet, I started shoving inside it the clothes I had hanged – it wasn't that much. Then, the bathroom, and I packed the basics as well. O.k, the bag pack was already full. I wondered if I would miss something. It didn't took me that much to realize that, most likely, I would miss a lot of things. I couldn't pack everything I wanted. Certainly, I would leave things behind. Things I wouldn't like to abandon just like that. But, truth was I was somehow used to leave things like this. I had done it at least three times already. Now it wasn't going to be different. Sadly, leaving dear things behind was a habit, already.

With the bag pack in my hands, I returned to my bedroom and I took my time eyeing the place… saying my goodbyes. My eyes caught a glimpse of something in the headboard of my bed… a _**dreamcatcher**_. It had been a gift from the man that had saved me from "the demon" – that old man was very superstitious. He told me that it would prevent me to have bad dreams, that nightmares would not haunt me while it was next to me. Well, I didn't know if that was true or not… placebo or not, my dreams were far more peaceful since I had ran from him. No, I couldn't leave this in here. I needed it – it was an essential, to me.

Without thinking twice, I grabbed it and put inside the bag, that was completely filled, by now. I zipped it closed and I almost let it fall next to my feet, at the sound of a voice, close to my back.

"Are you done?" The General asked, while I turned slowly, only to find him next to my bedroom door, arms crossed, eyes fixed on mine.

"Yeah, I guess…" I said, not knowing what to say. Maybe he was just checking if I was obeying him, who knows? The man wasn't predictable at all. However, my mind had questions unanswered, and I couldn't help but to verbalize them.

"Listen…" I started, hesitating while I searched for his eyes. They weren't difficult to find. "… where are w-"

"No questions, Sora." He interrupted me, his face unreadable. Ok, I had to try harder.

"But-"

"Trust me." He declared, a tone so different from his usual one. It didn't sound like him. It was like he was trying to tell me something, but he couldn't. This was entirely new about him, this apparent incapability of hiding emotions.

I wanted to say that I wanted to rely on him, really. I wanted to believe he was being truthful, that he was worthy of my belief…but his stare didn't let me. There was something frightening in those depths. Maybe it was just him, maybe it was just me… I didn't know. I only knew I was feeling lost and at the verge of a breakdown.

I left his stare and I turned my back to him. My bag pack was randomly disposed in my bed. I reached for it, but I couldn't make it. My arm touched it briefly but I was pulled quickly against something. A form, a figure, a human shape was taking a hold on me, preventing me to move. It didn't take me much to realize it was him, _The General_. He was grabbing me with such a possessive hold I couldn't help but to whimper at the force he was applying. His left arm enveloped my waist, and my feet left the ground, given his movement. His other arm, and hand, found my face and my mouth, covering it so that I couldn't say a word.

His action reminded me of that terrible moment, once in my kitchen, where he was grabbing me exactly like this… with the goal of threatening me. However, now, I didn't understand his actions. What was this for? Why was he doing this? With what purpose?

I tried to say something but, from me, only a muffled sound exited through my nose. My hands searched for his arm, trying to free myself from his hold. However, I knew it wasn't going to happen. The back of my head met his chest, I could feel the tension in his muscles; my back remained in contact with his form, while my legs fought to reach solid ground, but to no avail. O.k., I was panicking. What the hell was he going to do with me?

"Stay still." He ordered, his voice somewhere above my head.

_What_?... Yes, that was the only coherent thinking I was able to conceive.

"I said, stay still." He declared, once more, and now his voice was closer to me. His face rested somewhere in my head, I could feel its warm pressure against my hair, approaching softly my left ear, where he stopped and… he whispered soft words. "Don't fight me."

I felt a shiver running from my ear, travelling through my entire body. My breathing picked up and I felt despair filling my core completely. Gradually, I eased my movements and I let myself rest against him, letting him take the lead. "_Trust me_", he had said. How could I trust someone behaving like this?

"Good girl." He said, with a slight smiley tone. I couldn't see it, but I could easily guess he was smiling. I tried to say something, to see if he could let me speak but, this time, the hand that covered my mouth didn't soften. It remained with that iron grasp, preventing me to verbalize any coherent word.

"Sleep." He suddenly said, and I wondered what on Earth would that mean. I didn't want to sleep, I was damn awake, thanks to what had happened. My eyes moved, staring at each detail I had in front of me. The ceiling, the window, partially, the wall of my bedroom…. His hair, touching my arms, like strands of soft silk.

The door bell rang, and my heartbeat peaked again.

"I' handle it. Sleep, now, Sora."

He would handle it. Great. What would that mean? Killing? Beating? God, I didn't want to die. I didn't want to sleep, what was he-

"I'll take you from here. Just sleep."

It sounded like an order, tenderly entwined with the prospect of a promise. A promise of safety. A promise of…

I felt my thinking strangely slow. I didn't know why… but I was getting really sleepy. The sounds were unhurriedly fading, the repeating sound of the doorbell dying away, the space around me loosing definition. My eyelids were so heavy. My breathing was decelerating. His grasp on me grew stronger, as I felt all conscience leaving me. I felt his breathing in my neck, the skin of his face in my own, the tickling of his eyelids. Strangely, it was a pleasant feeling. It was like he was enveloping me in some sort of trance, induced only by the power of his mind.

No, that wasn't possible. He was only human, there was no way he…

And then, I couldn't think of anything else. My mind left all reality and I felt how my limbs, my body lose consistence, my head pending. My life, my integrity, belonged now to him – to his power, to his will… of taking me wherever he liked, or to simply end me.

**A/N – You were soooo great with me lately I decided to give you a little glimpse of the events. I'll take my break now (a week or so), I can only hope you may be patient. By the end of the month I'll be back with the new part of this story. I hope you enjoyed this so far. I can only promise you much more intensity and interesting situations after this. **

**I'm open to your reviews and suggestions. As always, comment and share your opinion.**

**Oh and… the how's and where's (yeah I know that's a big one) of all your questions will be answered in further chapters. I won't forget to explain every bit of it!**


	17. Chapter 14

**A/N – So I'm back, guys. To those who did not know, I was out these days (abroad) for entertaining purposes. So there you have, this brand new chapter, written in journey while I was travelling around France. **_**Merci**_*****

**So, now the thank you's as always: to those who avidly review everytime, no matter the day, hour and second: The Ninja and the Writer, Akamura, Takara, Kit the Neko, Ikuni Hattori. And my sincere welcome to those new to the reviewing universe: Cloud Raithwall and Direwolf 666. Your kind and supportive words are always most appreciated and feel free to comment whenever you like or PM me to say whatever you think about the story, suggestions, you know. **

**To those who added this story to the fav's and alerts in these last 10 days, very much thank you and… review guys! Come on, it's not that difficult :)**

**Oh and answering your question [Cloud Raithwall], as to why didn't Seph use his sword to k.o. the abusive BF (it's quite simple, actually): as you all know, Seph is a man who praises honor (in a rather deviant and wicked way but it's his own concept) and he simply considered Sora's attacker a low life form, not worthy of earning a blast from his sword. That's why he used his hands and strength to beat the hell out of him – this way, the fight would be among equals and not unequal, with one of them using a weapon and the other don't. Although I wouldn't consider them equals – not in a million years but hey, that's how the man's mind works, I guess. His (Sephiroth) concepts of sameness and equilibrium are all distorted, as you well know.**

**But… enough with this already and let's get to what matters the most: the new chapter.**

**[Oh and I'll repost the last chapter, since I had that terrible spelling mistake there – honestly I think I made up that word… shame on me LOL. Sorry guys for any eventual insult I may have proffered against the English language. I can only promise I will check more accurately the spelling from now on. – Thanks Ikuni for pointing out that:) – There won't be any addition to its content so that you know… just the monster mistake exorcized LOL]**

_**Last chapter, in the Turning Point…**_

… _I couldn't think of anything else. My mind left all reality and I felt how my limbs, my body lose consistence, my head pending. My life, my integrity, belonged now to him – to his power, to his will… of taking me wherever he liked, or to simply end me. _

_**Chapter 14. **_

I woke up to a total unusual surrounding.

I was resting in a bed, my head pending, the pillow touching randomly my head. There was silence, and my eyes took a considerate time adjusting to the light that invaded the room. Moving slowly, I looked around, trying to recognize a pattern. But I didn't find any. Everything was so strange, everything felt so… unnatural.

The room where I remained was even scarcely equipped than my own apartment. Clearly, it was a male decoration. No one female would have decorated it with so much sense of… simplicity.

The walls were pure, bright white, and the furniture dark brown. Simple, straight lines. A window provided all source of light in that room and… there was a door, also. I guess I would check what was outside… after all, I didn't know where I was, and…

Slowly getting up from bed I realized there were no bed-sheets. Just a simple, wrinkled bed cover, light brown in color. My bag-pack was chaotically shoved in the ground.

_So typical_… I thought.

Yes, it was very typical… from _him_, the… _General, sir_. His lack of consideration towards someone else's belongings was one of so many recognizable characteristics of him. And he was the one I was remembering exactly in this moment. I had my mind hazed concerning the events of last… night, I thought. I was packing and he was there, asking me if I was done already and suddenly he was all over me. Really, remembering that exact moment was… disturbing. That man had some weird capacity of enveloping me, physically and mentally, in his tangled web and then… everything had gone blank. He had told me to trust him. He had told me to relax and not to fight him, because he would take care of everything. Honestly, how could that be possible? He, taking care of something that concerned somebody else? – Namely, me? He, focused in something that wasn't… killing and being an unpleasant, arrogant bastard? That would be something to see.

Sighing inwardly, I headed to the bedroom door to find a large hall. To my right, two doors, both closed, probably rooms. To my left, three more doors. One central, and two of them positioned one in front of another. Instinctively, I headed towards left. Silently, I stepped, realizing I had on me the clothes I had on when I lost conscience.

It didn't take me much to realize the first door at my right belonged to a kitchen. It was huge, very spacey. It had everything there, brand new and it was so clean and neat that… it was impossible that someone had used it ever. It had a modest table, with four seats. And it had a door which led outside. It was semi-open and all I could see was green, arboreal. Where was I, anyway? What was this place?

I opened what left of the door opening and I got out. Once there, I could only stand and watch… in awe. There was green, bushes and trees everywhere, until the eye could see. The cold breeze blowing reminded me of the tricky autumn weather and I quickly concluded that I had to be somewhere north. Southern weather and the Tropics weren't a viable option. However this place was - certainly - somewhere in the mountains. Yes, right, but… which ones? There were plenty of mountains in the planet. Hundreds, to be exact. There was no way I could guess in which rocky formation I was in.

The house had a porch all around it, and I was able to discern, as well, a rocky path, clearly man-made. In the middle of so much beauty – yes, because the landscape was absolutely breathtaking – I couldn't help but to wonder how on Earth I got here. There were no roads, there was nothing there that could eventually transported me… and him, to this place.

This was really intriguing me.

However, it was in the middle of my scattered thinking that I got surprised.

"So you're finally awake."

He literally came out of nothing. Or, maybe, I was too distracted to see the general approaching me. He stood next to me, eyeing me with his usual stare, as if we were in the most normal place in Earth. Although, his face revealed a little less stress than before, at least comparing to what I remembered of daily living, with him, in my apartment. Probably it was this place – most likely, it was a place he knew, a place he felt safe in, a place that was notoriously secret. The day was sunny and the feeble winter light hit his hair, his form, giving him a less somber aspect. Contributing to that maybe there were the clothes, as well. He didn't dress his coat, not even the clothes I had bought him. He wore a black shirt instead, unbuttoned next to his neck and… part of his chest. The trousers were also black, and the boots – yes, those were the same as before. All his clothes screamed "fitting-made" in a rather sinful manner. The breeze made his hair move in the most chaotic, yet… sensual way. This man really was… well, handsome. And a nice hit, for sure, if it wasn't for his stupid temper and rude modes, that annihilated any chance of… liking him.

_Argh,_ I couldn't think about him this way. It was as unreal as… idiotic. His apparent gratitude wouldn't be all roses, I was willing to bet. Vaguely, I wondered why did I accept coming with him. And quickly I concluded I really had no chance, if I wanted to… survive. Sadly, he was my only way out.

"Where are we?" I asked, eyeing him.

"I thought we agreed no questions." And this was his immediate answer. So, the not-so-friendly socialization was already starting.

"Yes, but-"

"No but. Just leave it."

I could only stare at him with the most disbelieving gaze.

"Leave it? I can't just leave it, I-"

"You are safe. No one will find you here. Isn't that what you want?"

"Yes, b-"

"So this conversation is over. Permanently."

Not only he interrupted me constantly, but he considered the conversation ended just like that, in view of his likings. His freaking arrogant stare was still on mine, as if he was marking his authority. O.k., he was in charge here. But there was not need to behave like an asshole. My censoring gaze met his but to no avail – my eye power didn't have a chance against his. Really, my attempt at you-don't-scare-me was notorious ridiculous. Nonetheless, it was his voice that broke our little gaze duel.

"Please, come with me. Let's get you acquainted with the place and define your further tasks."

I took my time processing his words, while I followed him inside the house, again. We entered home, this time through the main door. The lock was automatic and I found immediately the hall where I had been minutes ago. The general took the lead, informing me what was each division. Immediately at left, the kitchen. At right, a large living-room. A couple meters ahead, there were three rooms. At our right side, "my" room – as he so politely indicated -, then almost glued to my bedroom door, another one – the bathroom. The left door consisted of his own bedroom – a suite, he gesticulated and, finally, the central door by the end of the hall leaded to… a dojo. It looked like a place taken out from a samurai movie, with a slight medieval touch. And, there was nothing military missing in that place. I felt my mouth opening, pending with wonder. On the contrary, nothing seemed to impress the general. Not my obvious surprise, not my lack of questioning, not even my pace slowing.

He headed to a door, discreetly placed in one of the corners. He opened it easily and made a sign to follow him. There were stairs that lead to some sort of basement, provided with natural light, although the place remained slightly somber, as expected. Down there the place was divided in two areas: a machine area and a zone with shelves, filled with…

"Is all that food?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes, it is. I have supplies for, at least, six months."

I could only bug my eyes. And he continued, pointing to the machine area.

"This is prepared to sustain every need in the place. There is a generator to provide constant energy and the laundry machine here."

"What about the water system?"

"It's provided by a natural source. In here there are no contaminants of any sort."

Oh my God. I know what that meant. We were far from civilization, then. Really, maybe _far_ wasn't the right word to define it – probably, secluded would define it so much better.

"How did you get so many things in h-"

"Let's go up." He interrupted, already making his own way through the stairs. I had to make a little run to catch up on him. Closing the doors behind me, I followed him to the kitchen, where he stood, already waiting for me.

I stopped at the door, waiting for him to do all the talking. I had a feeling he was going to talk about me, this time. My tasks. My obligations.

I wasn't wrong.

"Your obligations here consist mainly in maintaining the house, take care of the meals and clothing. Outside there is a little space to sustain a vegetable garden."

I could only bug my eyes at his words. Wow. That really was an elegant way of informing me I was supposed to be his slave or something.

"Don't step too far from the house. You'll get lost easily and I don't have time to babysit you."

God he really was unkind when we wanted to.

"Are we understood?"

And with his question I understood the conversation would be over soon. But hey, at least I would try to ease my mind, filled with so many questions.

"So and... what's the daily routine?"

He seemed a little perplexed with my question but he did get my point easily.

"I will leave early every morning and-"

"Leave?" I interrupted him, earning a killing silence from him. It was obvious he wasn't going to answer me, not in this century.

"Lunch at 12 a.m. and dinner at 7 p.m." His voice couldn't be colder.

"Oh." I gulped. "And what am I supposed to do meanw-"

"That is not of my concern."

And with that simple, cruel comment, he left. He exited through the kitchen door and he left me standing, looking at the nothingness that surrounded me, my mind shouting at me, my head pulsing, and all I could do was, inevitably, think:

_Where did I get into_?

I took my time re-observing every corner of the house, going to the basement, to see what was on those shelves. I did take my time observing… too much time. I didn't know what time it was – I had no watch, nor my cell. Speaking of which, I had it in my bag-pack. Maybe I should go for it.

Concluding I had a lot to choose to perform hundreds of my gastronomic creations, I went up the stairs, headed to my room. My bag-pack remained abandoned – as before -, and I searched avidly for my cell phone inside it. I removed all items, spreading them across the bed. There was no cell phone in there. I was willing to bet I had put it inside the bag. I wouldn't miss it, I had important contacts in there.

_Shit_… I thought, running my hand trough my hair. I couldn't believe _he_ had taken it from me. But come on, let's be honest: if it wasn't him… who, then? There are no such things as electronic devices sudden disappearing.

Annoyed, I sighed.

_Great. Just great_.

I made my way to the kitchen and my eyes found – finally – a watch, stuck in the wall, showing… "11.30 pm". I had half an hour to improvise lunch.

At 12 pm sharp the kitchen door opened. I was finishing the mushroom omelet I had improvised and I jumped slightly at his sudden entrance. I looked in his direction, realizing he had the sword next to him. I had never seen him like that – sword-like appearance, I mean. And it was freaking menacing.

"A… Sorry for the simple meal but it was all I could make up in 30 minutes." I apologized, searching for his eyes. He didn't allow me such thing.

"It's fine." He said, his voice completely unconcerned. Honestly, his coldness was something to see… and feel.

I saw him moving around me, exploring shelves and drawers. I watch how he did get a plate and then a fork, a knife, and then he placed them in the table. I immediately felt put aside. What, he didn't want to eat with me? I guess he didn't – but, come one, this wasn't news for me. He did behave like this every day back in my apartment. Anyway, I already knew he wasn't very fond of company, but truth was… seeing him acting like this, like I was completely expendable… it hurt. Even if I didn't want to feel it, the constriction in my heart was impossible to miss. It was then… that my frustration did take over.

"What did you do with my cell phone?" I asked, my voice low and week.

"You don't need it." He said, without even discontinuing his own matters, as if he was retorting to a stray dog or something. Really, from where did all this unkindness had come from? Well, I didn't know, but it truly made my mind burst with annoyance.

"You don't get to decide what I need or not. Where is it?"

I had said it before I even knew it. Anyway it was his fault. His manners were the ones behind my not-so-correct words. Besides, he was asking for it… he was, yes. And my words did catch his attention. At least he stopped with whatever it was he was doing and he took his time to look me in the eye. When his gaze finally met mine… I wished, really, he hadn't.

_Oh, man… me and my big mouth…_, I though, knowing already it was too late. He was angry. Really angry.

"Listen to me very carefully."

His words were slow but filled with influence, authority. His eyes were burning in mine, a fire so intense that contrasted with the coldness of his words… however, in unison, everything harmonized strangely…

"I am in charge here. I make the rules, rules that you accepted to uphold. So don't annoy me with your little childish explosions of anger." He declared. "We coexist here, nothing else. There will be no bonding, do you understand?"

"I didn't mean _that_." I said, trying not to be too evident. His words were cold, cruel and, above all, unfair… and I had to apply a considerate amount of strength to avoid any type of betrayal sign coming from my body - namely, my eyes. I couldn't afford to cry in front of him. That would be too humiliating.

However, he did continue with his speech.

"And I won't allow that kind of suspicion towards me. It was the last time you spoke to me that way."

"I just w-"

"Leave. I want to eat alone."

I wanted to justify myself, I wanted to tell him that he owed me, at least, an explanation, something that would ease up my mind, I wanted to say so many things… but my words remained hidden, fearful, retracted in some hidden corner of my mind, as I made my way out of the kitchen, closing the door behind me.

The oppression in my orbits was already too much for me to handle, and I felt how tears fell along my face while I reached the door of my – supposed – room and got in, closing the door behind me, silently.

And silently, I sat in the bed…

Silently, I wept like a child and let all grief depart from my body and soul, as the afternoon went by...

Silently, I remained sat, as time went by.

**A/N – So, there you have one more sample of our Sephiroth's bad temper. So typical it hurts to read, right? Well, as there are lots of questions unanswered and I presume all of you want (more like demand!) to know how did our man took care of the issues back in Sora's apartment and further transportation to this "place", I'll dedicate the next chapter to a Sephiroth POV that will give you all the answers to your unanswered questions. Just wait and see – I will make it worth it. The next chapter will take the form of a **_**memento**_**.**

**So, you know what to do – review:) and you'll make my day.**

**[*mental voices of all readers* **_How did he deal w/ the old hag?__**]**_


	18. Chapter 15

**A/N – God this was really difficult to write, but I think I covered it all. It's basically introspection, it's not very dynamic. I hope all your questions may be answered with the contents in this chapter. Not to mention the revelations it brings. Concerning Seph's psyche, I mean. LOL**

**SO, my eternal gratitude to those amazing persons who review Dreamcather so devotedly:**

**Akamura, Kit the Neko, The Ninja and the Writer, Takara, Cloud Raithwall, Ikuni Hattori. You guys are the best and… you really made my day.**

**To those I will not name (because you're too many), who added the story to alert's and fav's, my sincere thanks. You can always review, you know? I would love to know your opinion… your words are always welcome. **

**Well… let's go to what matters, right? So, there you have it!**

**Disclaimer: As always. **

_**Last chapter…**_

…_Silently, I wept like a child and let all grief depart from my body and soul, as the afternoon went by... _

_Silently, I remained sat, as time went by._

_**Chapter 15. **_

Maybe I was being too hard on her. Maybe the words I chose to make my point and to mark my authority weren't the most adequate. Maybe… I was starting to lose properties.

This woman's… character did intrigue me, each time more than the last time we scarcely spoke. Her reactions to me, to my speech, to my proximity were as controversial as pleasing.

I could only hope the fresh breeze around me would refresh my mind, as well. I had been too much time stuck in her apartment, my mind power was somehow corroded, actually.

And ever since then, my mother's voice did not sound, not even once. Not a whisper, nothing at all from the one that had taken power of my will and…

No, I didn't want to think about it. I didn't want to think my mother did abandon me just like that… her silence had to be justifiable. Her silence must have a purpose. I only had to be patient and wait. Wait for her voice to finally invade my mind and guide me. Until then, I will remain still, quiet… hidden.

Right after I was ranked General I decided to buy a property in the northern continent. This was a desire of mine since I was a child. A childhood lost in between sterile walls, a youth compromised with Hojo's orders, genetic testing and laboratory experiments. A machine made to go to war – that was what I had become… that was what they had transformed me into.

Jenova's cells inside me were a plus difficult to control. Since I was a child I knew I was different; in my scarce socializing with others, I knew, all the time, I wasn't the same they were. I wasn't merely human. I was more than that. I was… a hybrid of some sort, hidden behind a human outer shell.

The night I fell at Nibelheim despair had taken over me. Rage, anger and a sudden desire to ravage every single human being possessed me, Jenova's words burning inside my head, marking every step, conducting my deadly actions. In the end, she was the responsible for my fall. In the end, Jenova's sugary voice was the one that got me into… doom.

By now I was reaching a high spot in the mountains. The house was strategically hid in the hillside, surrounded with so much vegetation it almost made it impossible to walk around for more than a mile without a weapon. This forgotten place on Earth would be my salvation, I had no doubt of it. I had dreamed about this place since I was little. In here I would rest, I would ease out my worries… in here I would remain, until… until.

The absence of accesses of any kind to this place made it even more secluded from civilization. In consequence, I would be the one flying in and out of here, when the world is sleeping, if there is a need, a situation I must handle in the real world.

From the particular spot where I stood, there was only green and brown until the human eye could see. However I was able to discern a small sample of civilization, about 30 miles here. But there was nothing to worry about. To the locals living there – an old population, resumed to twenty five houses – had the concrete notion the mountains were virgin. No living being would live in such harsh conditions. Yes, that was it. That was exactly what I would like them to think.

The soft wind blowing brought me the arboreal aroma of the land, the fresh scent of the nearby river and occasional lakes and waterfalls that decorated randomly the mountains. This… purity was everything I could ever ask for. This silence, this peace, was everything I could aspire for, in my scarce living filled with noise, war, swords tingling, blood squishing and… death.

Maybe this was why I had been brought back from death. Maybe this was the reason my mother had been so silent. Maybe… she only wanted me to relive another life, a life now filled with calm, peace, introspection… Maybe. Who knows? There were few logical theories in my head right now, as to why would my mother would behave like this towards me. Her silence, her absence had no explanation, other than this. Maybe it was time for me to surrender. Maybe it was time for me to… accept her nonexistence.

I took my time standing, breathing the fresh air bathing my lungs, cleaning my soul. I watched, mesmerized, how the sun moved so slowly to its setting point and how the color of the sky changed, from blue to orange, purple, all mixed in a combination difficult to describe. It was beautiful. It was powerful. It felt invigorated.

It was almost time. The time for me to go back home… the time for me to rest and… sleep, as I haven't slept in many years, because now, finally, I was home. This place, for me, was now… my sanctuary.

As I made my way to the house, I took purposely my time. I didn't want to get there sooner than expected. I did want to get there and find myself alone, alone with my thinking, alone with my inner voice.

However, reality was different than I could wish for.

She was there. I had brought someone with me – this woman, the one who had miraculously saved me from the slumber I was in. But all that apparent random rescuing wasn't all that random after all. There had been someone guiding her there, to me – in knew it, and her indecision had faltered her. There was someone, besides me and her that knew I was there. And I… had to know _who_ that was. I would have my answers, in due course.

But that was not going to happen today. I had been though on her lately, and her recent hurt wouldn't allow me to squeeze her more. I would have to be patient, I would have to wait for her confession. And I would get it all, eventually – the information I had been wishing for, since my awake.

I entered the house using the kitchen door. As I expected, it was vacant, and the dinner was already made and served. She had left before I got in… I heard her rush, between tears and grieving thoughts. She had been crying the whole time, since I left, an obvious consequence of my ruthless, yet truthful words. I knew I had been implacable, but her inconvenient curiosity has this effect on me. That was why I had no other option but to annihilate any chance of closeness from her.

Sitting at the table, I ate, quietly, slowly, thinking. Her steady breathing was audible to my acute hearing. Most likely, she was sleeping already. I wondered what had she been doing around the house for the whole afternoon, besides cooking. I had to admit I was curious.

After I was done with my meal I closed the doors and windows, and made my way to my bedroom. Her scent inundated the house. Her tears and occasional sobs were still fresh, marked as recently sprayed ink in the walls, in every corner. Her grief was considerate.

As I entered in my premises I felt a little… surprised. She had made the bed, using the brand new sheets I had stored in my closet. Dark grey in color, decorated also with the thick bedcover. Black. Also, the color of the furniture. Also, the color of one of the four walls that made up my room.

I put my sword in its place, a spot prepared for my sword to rest, a place dedicated to the weapon I gave life to, when I used it. A mortal, deadly company.

I removed the clothes I had in me and remained with my underwear. After I was done in the bathroom, I stood still for a moment, lingering in the huge free space I had in my bedroom.

I felt my soul vacillating. I felt unwanted emotions assault me, a torrent of undesired pity, worry and… inquisitiveness.

Why was I so worried about her? Why did the fact of knowing she cried because of me… troubled my mind, in a certain way? Was I starting to become softer? No, I couldn't… I shouldn't. There was no place in me for another person… there was no space inside me to share with a human being. There was no…

Slowly, I scrutinized the semi-open door of my bedroom. Leisurely, I made my way into her room. The door was closed, but I was able to discern every and single detail inside it. She was sleeping, her heartbeat stable, her emotions muted.

Silently, I opened the door.

I reached her laying position, only to realize I shouldn't have done it. She had fallen asleep with her daily clothes on and there were no bed sheets in her bed. She was somewhat covered with the bed cover, her head resting in the pillow, her dark hair chaotically disposed, showing part of her left hear. I only had access to part of her face, which touched indiscriminately her right hand and fingers, as if she had been trying to hide her face, before falling asleep.

I was then I knew. She had been hiding her grieving, teary face from me, from my range, from my… words, the ones causing so much damage to an already broken woman.

The mere though and realization of this fact made my chest constrict. I made me feel weaker, the sight of her so… wounded and hurt with my actions. I was its direct cause. I was the one responsible for such…

And then I noticed. The dry streams of not-so-recent tears in her face, her cheeks, dotting the white fabric beneath her.

I regretted immediately realizing that. Her tears and sorrow were affecting me in ways I could not allow. No, this was starting to get uncontrolled. I couldn't let her affect me this way. I couldn't let her actions manipulate my absent emotions like this.

I wouldn't permit it. I wouldn't…

I left her room as silently as I entered, returning impatiently to my own bedroom.

I laid in my bed, trying to calm myself, to ease my eagerness. I wanted to sleep, but all I could remember was her broken soul.

All I could remember was her grieving complexion, freeing tears of sorrow and sadness.

All I could remember was the emotions that swept over me the night I saved her life from that low life form that was trying to hurt her… and the events after that…

* * *

_The intentions of that hideous man were so obvious that it was almost insulting. How could someone - a man, someone that calls himself a Man with capital M – behave like a repulsive fucker? My hands clenched in reaction, my desire to lacerate that peace of unworthy human male into… a thousand pieces. _

_But it wasn't my place to interfere in their business. This was between him and… her. I would remain still and unresponsive, as always. It won't be too difficult, I hoped, to keep my sword away from his joints, from his flesh, from his… neck… and thoracic area._

_However, it was more complicated than I thought – to stay apart from what was happening only a wall away from me._

_His speech was as repugnant as his purposes; the way he hurt her, the way his hand travelled along her body… was starting to make me nervous. I didn't care for her but… this, what he was doing and saying to her, was below human. This was… disrespecting a life form. _

_And then he hit her, his hand reaching her face with such brutality I couldn't imagine a man could ever enjoy doing that to a woman. My breathing accelerated a little, a sign I was already too impatient to remain still. I didn't know why, but the sounds his fingers made, trying to unbutton her clothes, forcing the fine fiber of her clothes to reach for her private areas… threw me over the edge. _

_I exited the room and I blew the only bulb available in that small hall. He wasn't worthy of the lethal touch of my sword. He wasn't worthy of anything else except for my raged fists and experienced fingers to hurt him, break some bones, remove some portions of hair and destroy permanently some crucial joints for him to have a painful, incomplete recovery and remember forever the one who thrashed him like he deserved. _

_The one without a face, without a name, because the lesson I would teach him would take part… with the lights out._

_I threw him to the stairs, watching how his body crashed against the hard marble. Not caring about what would happen from there, I closed the door of her apartment, realizing the tension I was feeling not a minute ago already fading. _

_I popped up the kitchen light and I searched for her. Her fragile form, beaten, hurt, breathing erratically, sit next to a wall, which supported part of her weight. I approached her and crouched. My fingers touched her bruised face, in the place she had been slapped. Her reaction to my touch was the one I expected._

"_Relax, I'm just checking your integrity." I said, among other things. I remembered how the texture of her recent tears made my heart hurt and how the sadness in her face almost made me shiver with… sympathy. Her fragility, her despair were so transparent I could almost feel them myself. _

_And then, faster than I could expect, I was offering her a way out. I was giving her a chance of running away from the miserable life she had and… come with me. I didn't know why I did it. I only knew I should do it, a certainty I did not know from where it had come from. And she accepted it, as I predicted. _

_I told her to pack quickly. She complied. I observed her, I heard her rushing for her belongings. And I thought to myself "Prepare yourself for a little flight, flimsy Sora…", a slight smile forming in my lips. _

_I searched her, only to find her busy, trying to get a grip on herself, her mind occupied with the contents of her bag-pack. _

_We talked some more and then, when he turned her back to me, I knew… it was time to do something. It was time for me to do what I had to do._

_I took a hold on her, grabbing her close to me. With my right hand covering her mouth and my left arm grasping her waist, I felt how she fought me, how she moved to release herself from me. She was feisty, I had to give her that… and even after what she had been through, she still had strength to react._

_I moved us, positioning her to meet completely my form, so that I could do properly what I had to do. Her body shivered at the contact and her breathing as well. There was something about me that made her react like this and… I couldn't understand what it was. Would it be the fear, the unpredictability of my actions? Most likely, yes. _

_I told her to stay still, not to fight me. She complied faster and easier than I expected, although her mind was still hazed with uncertainty. _

_I ordered her to sleep, summoning mentally a weak portion of sleep materia. I eased her mind, while the doorbell rang repeatedly. I promised her I would take care of everything and that her safety was guaranteed. _

_Those who used to know me probably would think I was lying. Probably, they would think I was just manipulating a weak mind for my own use. But truth was… I wasn't. I really meant every word I said. And I meant it with too much eagerness. An eagerness I wasn't accustomed to feel and manage. Not like this, not in this magnitude. _

_Her body so close to mine did taint my coherence. Her reactions, so compliant, made me feel strangely comfortable against her. _

_Reflexively, I let my face touch hers, while her head rested in my chest. I let my face contact with her warm, smooth complexion, while she left her conscience astray. I moved my lips close to the skin of her neck, breathing in the essence of her aroma, the scent of her perfume. It was overwhelming, how strange emotions were brought up only for simply… breathing her in. _

_Her skin reacted to my warm breath against it… repetitive shivers ran along her body, as my breathing hit her. _

_It took me a considerate amount of time to realize she was already sleeping by now and that I remained her close to me just like before, totally unaware of my surroundings. The doorbell rang and someone was calling her name from the outside. _

_It was time to go. Now._

_Tonight, she and I would vanish from this world. _

_I took my scarce belongings with me, as I transported my recently asleep company next to my shoulder. Quickly, I removed any trace of my presence in that apartment, as well as the recent fuzz provoked by that repulsive being who claimed to own the woman I held next to me now._

_I knew I had been noisy. I knew authorities would come and would search the area, most likely under a fake suspicion brought up by that nosy neighbor. But they wouldn't find anything. Only silence… and a total void._

_She would be considered missing whilst I… will remain dead to the world. _

_And, as time passes by, everything will be forgotten in a blink of an eye. She will become simply a memory for the few who knew her._

_Facing now the window of her bedroom, I let myself stand for a moment. Her breathing was even against me. Her bag-pack pended, forcing her body in the opposite direction. I rearranged her next to me. It was time to leave._

"_Say your goodbyes, Sora." My mind spoke, as I felt my body exhale an extra appendage in my upper back. My wing made its way against my flesh, tearing part of my clothing, invading the small space around us, creating a soft breeze that delicately intertwined with the fresh air coming from the outside, though her bedroom window._

_And then, suddenly, all around me was sky, clouds and stars. All around me was the shadow and the darkness provided by a moonless night._

_Swiftly and silently I flew, headed to the only place in this planet I knew I would feel safe and in peace with myself._

**A/N – So, are all your doubts&questions answered? Feel free to comment on that. And I promise next chapter will have more action. Truth is, a chapter like this was needed to clear up your minds, don't you think?**

**Review, people! Let me know what your mind thinks about this. **


	19. Chapter 16

**A/N – I won't say much this time. I hope you like this. I was funny to write, really LOL**

**My sincere thanks to my faithful reviewers – Ikuni Hattori, The Ninja and the writer, Akamura, Cloud Raithwall. Since the feedback with this story has been so positive, I can only thank you all and say to all of you who read that I really appreciate you taking your time. **

**And I really would like to know ****everybody's**** opinion about it. It would be more encouraging and I could have a good idea of the story's impact. So, please, it's easy - just click in the review button (LOL) and speak your mind:) **

**BTW, my sincere thanks also to those who keep adding the story to the alert's fav and so. The list is growing and that makes me happy:)**

**But let's get to what matters the most!**

**Disclaimer: as always.**

**Chapter 16.**

Five days passed. And I didn't even know the day of the week.

I hadn't seen the general during all this time. He was around when I was too, but I purposely avoided finding him, meeting him. I didn't want to look at his face, I didn't want to see the lack of concern in his actions, I didn't want to face his cold stare. No, I didn't, not after what he had told me some days ago.

I did not want to cry but the tension building inside me was so strong I wasn't capable of restraining it anymore. He didn't deserve my tears… he deserved a slap in the face, instead. But… as always, my body had taken advantage of my mental weakness and I had cried like a child. And what bothered me the most was the certainty I felt that he, most likely, knew it very well.

Since he had his own routine, thankfully alerting me when he was getting back home, I respected his schedules. Every day he left before dawn, while I was still sleeping, and only returned to the house to have lunch. I always made the meals extremely early and fast, hoping he wouldn't return home ahead schedule. I prepared everything in the kitchen and then I made my way into my bedroom, where I sat silently, sometimes in the bed, sometimes in the ground with my back against the door, sometimes I simply stood against the window, listening to the discreet noises he made entering home, the door lock opening, the kitchen door closing, the tingling of the dishes. Silently, I remained, until I could hear the door locks again, sign that he had left. It was then, than I knew I had the house for myself, to wander, to finally eat and… to cry, alone, if I wanted.

The same happened in the evening. It was more difficult for me to handle his presence after dinner time. He didn't leave the house after that. He remained there, wandering around and I… refused to appear. The first evening I didn't have dinner – I knew I was being stubborn, and maybe childish, but I really was hurt with his attitude of late. And I wasn't prepared to face him yet. His presence did disturb me. I didn't want to… let myself show to him so fragile.

Most likely he would mock me and enjoy my depressive state of mind. That was how he was. Cold, cruel, and uncaring.

The first night I didn't even had the strength to make my own bed. I had made his, under a shameless torrent of desperate tears, and when I got to my room, I only wanted to hide. Hide my face, hide my swollen eyes, my sadness and grief and make it disappear. I closed the door and I laid in my un-made bed, until tiredness consumed me and I fell onto a deep, repairing sleep.

Next day I woke up with the sun coming out of the window. It was a sunny day, contrasting with my wintery mood. I had to get up and go to the kitchen to see what time it was. It was 9 am. I made lunch – it was the maximum priority in this place! – and then I took my time discovering every detail and exploring every corner of my bedroom. There were bed sheets, blankets and towels in an almost exaggerated amount. My bathroom was simple, the tiles shiny and clear.

_Everything about this house is so monochrome_…

Yes, it was true. It was his house – come on, what was I expecting? Green and pink in my room and electrifying yellow at his? Definitely not.

During the afternoon I did took my time exploring the outside. There wasn't much to see, because the path was short, and the vegetation after that was so dense I wouldn't dare to go through it. Well, at least, not for now, I wouldn't.

But there was water running close – I could hear it… maybe some sort of river, or lake. And I would love to see it, from all my heart… but I couldn't bring myself to… explore. At least for now.

Hours passed terribly fast, when I wasn't inside de house. But the constant shadow of his sudden appearance and my ridiculous dependence of that clock in the kitchen wall didn't allow me much freedom. Well maybe I had to consider learn the hours from the sun position. Otherwise, there was no chance for me to – eventually – organize myself.

The day when I didn't have no clean underwear had arrived – yes, it was today. Well, I still had an extra panty in my bag-pack for today. So I had to think – seriously - about… laundry.

Getting up leisurely from the bed, I made my way immediately to the kitchen, to see what time it was. It was 10 am.

_Crap_! I ran into the bathroom and showered at the speed of light, returning to my bedroom and getting dressed as fast as I could. Checking again my bag-pack I realized I didn't have that much clean t-shirts as well. Not to mention stockings.

_Damn I really have to get these clothes cleaned today_.

However my immediate concern went to the meals of the day. I would continue with my little act – forever, if I had to – and making my point in avoiding him.

The next hour was passed in the kitchen, preparing lunch and dinner, while I ate breakfast. Looking at the wall clock almost one time _per_ minute, I realized I was too stressed this morning, and I didn't know why that was. Well I had to calm myself down.

_He's only showing up in an hour, so… calm yourself, Sora_, my mind comforted me. Yes, I knew that he would only show up next to 12 am but… my insides didn't let me relax. Who would seen me like this certainly would think _I_ was the one misbehaving in here. Right, but that wasn't so. _He_ had been the one behaving like a total jerk.

_Right, fine. Move on.._., my mind soothed me.

Leaving the kitchen with all the matters concerning the next two meals of day completely solved, I went to my room to get my grimy clothes. And then, back in the hall, making my way to the laundry department, I passed by the door of _his_ room. It was open, the bed unmade and there were absolutely no signs of Mr. General, sir! I stopped in front of the open door and stood there for a couple seconds, thinking. I looked at the volume my clothes made – such small amount wouldn't fill the washing machine, for certain. _Hmn_. Most likely he would have laundry to do, as well. He was human, after all. I guess.

So I decided to find the place where he would eventually leave his dirty clothes. It wouldn't be that complex. Men usually are straightforward concerning these things, so I though it wouldn't be that difficult to find it, right? O.k., maybe a little. I checked each corner of his room, only to find nothing. In my little walk, I made his bed and I couldn't help but to think where on Earth would he put something as simple as dirty clothes. I looked around, and I saw a door – his bathroom door. It was inside his own bedroom, since he had a suite.

_Maybe inside the bathroom_…, my mind thought. Yes, it was a logical thinking. So logic I didn't even considered another option and I launched myself into that door, opening it without hesitating.

As I did so, I only had time to breathe in sharply with anticipation… and embarrassment. The bathroom wasn't empty – as obviously I thought it would be. The General was inside. Apparently, he had just finished his shower, since he was splattered with water all over. And why did I know _that_? Well because he only had on him a towel, wrapped across his waist. A white towel, so similar to the ones I used to leave the shower, as well. However I didn't know if his towel was simply smaller or… if he was the one huge enough to make that towel seem insignificant. Anyway, as my brain processed the visual information my eyes were receiving, I could only stare at awe at the man in had in front of me. I didn't know what was worse: he, half-naked or… the small water drops all over him. And the hair… absolutely gorgeous. I didn't have much time to get a concrete sight of every part of his body that wasn't covered, but the small glimpse I took was more than enough to realize that all about him was simply muscle, toned, defined… a freaking model, definitely. And… a dreadfully sexy one, to be even more honest. My God, from his chest, to his arms, to his abdomen, the lines of the pelvis bones, the legs… O.k., I had to stop with this.

"I-I'm… t-truly sorry." I said, staggering shamelessly. My God, did the sight of him without clothes made me act like this? "I didn't know you were…"

And then I ran out of words. I didn't know what to say, how could I excuse myself from this situation. _Right, so much for my now-failed attempt of avoiding him_. However the cause behind my apparent loss of words wasn't only me and my terrible timing to search for dirty clothes. It was his stare - his eyes, on me, since I had opened the door, since I invaded his privacy. His neutral complexion, apparently unaware of my sinful thoughts. His penetrating gaze, questioning me. The slight movement towards me, as if he was illustrating himself… to me.

It was then – after those dreadful moments – I decided to close the door and leave. I wouldn't go far, but at least I wouldn't have to see him, again, like… that.

As I left his room I was closing doors behind me. My breathing was clearly affected and I felt shocked. Great. Now, what would follow? Probably he would massacre me again with his horrible words. Now, he had a reason… I had invaded his bathroom… without permission. I didn't even knock, for Christ' sake.

I felt so affected with the thought of him like half-naked, that I left the clothes abandoned in my own room again. I went to the kitchen, checking the meals once again. Thankfully, everything was already done. In less than ten minutes I could go to my room and hide myself from him for the rest of the century, minimum. God, I was so ashamed. Oh, my God, and his… body. Is _that_ even possible?

_Stop it, Sora. Get a grip, Jesus_.

My mind chastised me. My trembling hands roamed in the recent made food, while I served the meals and divided it in portions. My mind couldn't think straight. All I could see was…

Suddenly, a noise startled me and my alienated intellect. The door. The kitchen door. It was him. I was sure of it.

I didn't look his way, nor did I search for any reaction of him while he entered the kitchen, all dressed up – thankfully. He reacted normally, as if nothing had happened. His actions were neutral, common. He did not speak to me as well.

And, in the middle of all this coldness, all I could feel was the intensity of his stare on mine, not minutes ago.

Nonetheless, I was the first one talking.

"I'm almost done here. I'll leave in a no-time."

He answered me with silence, but I sensed his stare hitting my back for a while.

"Until when do you plan to avoid me?"

_Shit_, my mind answered, while I remained glued to the dish-washer, my eyes in the food and dishes in front of me, truthfully whishing this conversation wouldn't be happening. I could only hear my heart making a serious attempt of exiting my chest.

"I need to laundry. Do you have any-"

"That won't work with me."

_Shit_, my mind said again, and added, _I'm so screwed_… O.k., he wasn't going to let me NOT answering his question.

"I'm not avoiding you." I said, my voice weak, exposing the lie I was proffering.

"Aren't you." He declared, his tone misbelieving.

Suddenly, I felt annoyance all over me. Out of the blue, I felt… courage welling up inside me and… not knowing where did I get that strength from… I turned and search his eyes, facing him. _Defying _him. And then, I spoke.

"Isn't this what you wanted?" I started, while he met my stare. "To be alone during meal time? I'm just doing what you said. Coexisting. Nothing else."

His stare couldn't be harder. Obviously, he didn't like to hear what I had said… but it was all true.

"Are you that resented with me?" He asked, not vacillating a bit. My God, how was he able to _be _like this?

"Does it matter?" I fought back. Really, what was his problem anyway?

"Answer me." He declared, as if I hadn't said anything previously. It wasn't a request, it was an order. And I get it not from the tone of his voice, or his words. It was… his eyes on mine.

All of the sudden, the courage I felt invading me some seconds ago seemed to be fading away. I removed my stare from his and I searched something to focus on. The ground, the table, the door… anything.

"I…" My voice cracked immediately. What could I say? Something like "_You're a cold bastard and you hurt me relentlessly_"? Nah. No way. It would be too humiliating.

"No." I finally said, hoping he would leave me alone with his inquisitive questions. However, what happened next was even worse.

"You pretend terribly." He declared, and all I could do was looking back at him and… freeze against his hard stare. Again.

"And since when my feelings towards you matter? You were the one who said there wouldn't be any bonding." O.k., I know I was stepping into dangerous ground. But he was provoking me so bluntly that I couldn't hide my annoyance anymore. Nonetheless, his answer did match with his hard stare.

"It matters when I say so. And I want to know." He declared.

Honestly, was this even possible? As if he didn't knew the answer to his own question. _Bastard_…

"You know very well I am resented with you." I said, my voice harsh, trying to throw at him a little bit of what he constantly threw at me. However, what I received from him was simply a neutral answer, devoid of any sympathy.

"Yes, I do." He said, his words excessively slow.

_So much for my failed attempt of hurting him back_.

"Then why-"

"Sora."

I was going to ask him why, why on Earth did he enjoy so much hurting me, why was he behaving like this with me, why, what had I done to deserve his unkindness, his despise… but he didn't let me. It was like he knew already what I was going to ask him and he simply avoided that from happening. He knew me too well already. I was an open book to him, by now and I could only bring myself to regret the way I had exposed myself to him, like this. Why did I let this happen? How did he invade my life, my emotions? How did he invade my private garden inside my head?

I didn't know the answer. I only knew he did. And he had done it successfully.

Now, with my stare fixed in his, I could only lose myself – again, as it did happen so many times before. Not a meter from him, I could only stare back and let him invade me, showing him how hurt I felt, how resentment did consume me and, deep down inside, how I wish it would happen otherwise.

"I cannot satisfy your curiosity." He suddenly declared.

_My curiosity_. Why was he being so defensive? What threat did I pose to him, why couldn't he simply… tell me?

"I have the right to know h-"

"No, you don't."

_And there we go_. _Again_.

"Why?"

"You cannot bring your past life here."

I couldn't believe he was throwing such lame excuse on me like this. My past life? What did that had to do with anything?

"That's another rule of yours?" I asked, a slight sarcasm invading my speech. And he didn't miss it.

"It is." He answered me, with an equal dose of irony.

_Oh I can play that game as well_.

"Is there any other rule I should know of?" I asked, preserving my irony. Really, he was really asking for it.

"Knock before enter." And with his immediate answer I could only freeze, in reaction. O.k., that's what I got for messing around with him. Really, did I ever consider I could match his level of manipulation? Of course not… but sometimes I forgot all about it and I did let myself bury in shame and intense blushing. Exactly, _that _what was happening right now.

I couldn't look at him directly. The shame I felt for my previous thoughts was invading me and incapacitating me terribly. The thought of him, absolutely breathtaking, with that blasted towel around him, was printed in every neuron in my brain.

And he somehow sensed it. His complexion did change a bit, as he observed my reaction. Surely, he must consider the situation somehow funny, judging by the way his eyebrow rose, just when I left his stare.

"I apologized for that." I said, my voice failing. O.k., I had to justify myself or this would get much worse. "Besides I though you weren't at home, since you leave early every day-"

"It's Sunday." He said, justifying himself as well. O.k. then. Today was Sunday – the day when he didn't leave early. _I'll keep that in mind_.

"Oh." I said, searching for his eyes once again. "Well… it won't happen again."

I wanted so. A lot, really. Not facing him half-naked, I mean. Or I would risk my sanity.

O.k, he's still looking at me. His face remains unreadable. What does he want, anyway? I'll give a try once more.

"The reason I went to your room… was because I was searching for your clothes to… laundry."

And there it was. It was true. I wasn't there to peak on him, if that's what his previous stare was implying.

"Oh." He declared, with a slight mockery toning.

Really, sometimes he was really impossible to stand.

"So, where do you keep those?" I asked, pretending he hadn't suggested anything before. I shouldn't... fall into his mischievous verbal ambushes.

"Right there in the bathroom." He informed, unbiased as ever.

"O.k. then." I said, leaving the kitchen and closing the door behind me, not bothering to look back at him.

**A/N – So, I expect you liked the chapter:) It's funny, with good interaction. Seph's messing with Sora and vice-versa. **

**Anyway, review guys. Can't wait to know what you're thinking:)**

**Oh and from now on – May and June – the update will be slower – luckily, one update a week or so… the finals are coming and time is scarce. If you know what I mean.**

**Thanks for your comprehension***


	20. Chapter 17

**A/N – So there you go. I had so much fun writing this. It's mainly interaction and it's… absolutely priceless. Or so I think. Hope you like it:) **

**I made this only to explore their relation-ship and to guide you guys into what's inevitable. And because I find their situation really funny. **

**Thank you for reviewing my dear The Ninja and The Writer, Ikuni, Akamura, Takara, Cloud Raithwall and… Yamilian, the newest acquisition to the review area. As always, you know I am sincerely thankful to all of you guys and that I couldn't go on without your precious reviews (LOL). You're encouraging and simply amazing, all of you:)**

**So, and to those who added the story to fav's and author alerts, my genuine thank you as well.**

***I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS Sunday GIFT FROM ME***

_**Last chapter…**_

"_O.k. then." I said, leaving the kitchen and closing the door behind me, not bothering to look back at him._

_**Chapter 17. **_

Thankfully, he didn't make any more remark concerning the incident in his bathroom. Well, not that the sight of him half-naked was incidental but… truthfully speaking, I didn't want to see him like that again. It really… disturbed me. And that was so not because he was ugly or a total troll but… exactly the opposite: a terrifying, appalling sexy piece of man.

The memory of his splattered skin did pursue me for a while. But, as days passed, that disconcerting image of him became foggier… thankfully. Or I would day-dream a lot more than usual.

A brand new week arrived and I did busy myself with the house matters. I did manage the washing machine – I couldn't think I would have to call him out to help me dealing with that monster of steel in that shadowy basement. And I did try different spots outside to dry the clothes.

It was getting colder by now. There was very little of Autumn in daily temperatures. And, since we were somewhere in the mountains, the wind was freezing the most part of the day. Not to mention at night, if I had to leave the house for any reason at all.

Given the inadequate clothes I had in me – which were all extremely fresh for this time of the year – I was always wrapped in a short blanket, the shorter I had found in that immense pile of things inside the closet. During the week that followed, I used to go out only when there was sun and I sat at the porch, mummy-style, breathing the fresh air and enjoying the view. The sound of remote water running made me relax, to forget I was somehow trapped in this place, without knowing what to do sometimes, other times considering if my choice had been the right one. Not that I could do much about it, right now.

And then, my dependence on the freaking kitchen clock still haunted me. Now, I resumed to avoiding the general in a more discreet way. I didn't want to see him that often because his presence, his stare distressed me, now more than ever. His presence was an immediate connecter to the memory of _him_, in that bathroom, that damn morning.

So, I kept saluting him politely, but I still avoided coincidence. I was doing this to protect me. Mainly, to protect my sanity. There was no way I was going to grow dependent on him emotionally … depending on him to do everything else was enough already. Oh and I always knocked at the doors since that day. Luckily, there was no answer – ever - , a clear sign he wasn't around. But still, I knocked. Just in case.

The general did keep his usual routine. As always, I didn't hear him get up and leave; I didn't notice when he was already sleeping; I didn't notice when he seemed to lock himself in that place, that medieval division that gave access to the basement as well. And I couldn't even imagine what he would be doing in there. There was no sound, at least that for my feeble ear.

By the end of the week, one morning I left my room and I found a huge paper box, wrapped with thick sticky tape, the industrial kind. I stared at the box for a while. What was this? Why did I have such thing in front of my bedroom door? I didn't know.

And that only meant one thing: I would have to ask him.

Sighing at my immediate thought, I wasn't able to focus the entire morning, while I was doing my routine. The perspective of meeting him purposely to ask him about the damn paper box was… distressing. I felt my heartbeat rushing everytime I thought about it. I felt my mind roaming about the details of him, of his face and the radiance of his hair. As strange it may sound.

I glanced at that bloody clock in the kitchen wall…. Dozens of times. At the kitchen table I sat, waiting for him. I tried to entertain myself. I thought about the weather. I thought about the meals of the next week. I thought about…

Suddenly, I heard footsteps. The unconfoundable sound of his boots hitting the wooden porch in that particular side of the house. It was him, I was sure of it.

My cardiac rhythm did accelerate a little, with the perspective of seeing him. After all, I didn't see him for three days.

His determinate grasp did open the door and I saw him enter. His eyes met mine immediately, and I was able to find some surprise in there. I didn't know why, but sight of him was somehow soothing to me – at least in this moment, it felt that way. His hair was, as always, beautiful and his face… unspoiled and perfect as ever. Slowly, I saw him close the door behind him. His stare was still on mine, the green in his eyes contrasting with the black clothing he wore, adorned with his usual leather coat, his sword next to him. I saw him remove the coat and the sword, revealing a black shirt, adorned with discreet, thin stripes of dark grey. The collar was open, revealing part of his upper chest. It made my mind roam… definitely towards less adequate paths.

We remained still for a moment, our eyes locked for while… he standing… and I sat, until he decided to destroy the moment: his stare quickly left mine and he exited the kitchen, towards the hall.

First, I felt a little appalled. What the hell was that? His eyes had changed. When he first saw me I had the sensation he… enjoyed seeing me there, waiting. And that feeling remained until… all of the sudden, all of it was gone and there was coldness. All over him.

But then I decided to follow him. I needed to ask him about that paper box, really. So, I got up and rushed, only to find him already by the end of the hall, his grey hair occupying a large part of his back, flowing with an unnatural grace.

"A… General?" I said, my voice low, reaching my bedroom door by now. I never had addressed to him this way.

I saw him stop. He didn't move for a glimpse of a second but his answer was swift, not bothering to look back at me.

"Don't call me that."

His tone was hard, somber. I gulped in response. How could I possibly know he didn't want me to call him that? Maybe if he talked to me some more and stopped being such a jackass…

_O.k., just stop_. This wasn't the way to him, to… ask him and talk to him. He was the expert in insulting, not me. As much as I wanted to throw things at him, I had to admit… I was a basic level apprentice, while he mastered the art of … being unpleasant.

"I… sorry, I…"

_I didn't know_, my mind completed my speech. And the words had come out as a sincere apology, my tone excessively sweet. Quiet and still he remained, his back to me.

"I do have a name." He said, with a neutral voice. He didn't sound angry… at least that was a good sign. Maybe I could talk to him like normal people do.

"O.k." I said, my voice failing.

He didn't let me ask him anything else though.

"So, what is it?" I heard him say, half-turning slowly, his eyes finally meeting mine. Not to mention that my speech did become affected by his stare.

"Hum…What's this?" I asked him, pointing subtly to the paper box exactly at my right side.

"It's for you. Obviously." He declared.

_What_? I couldn't help but to wonder what on Earth did he mean with that.

"W-"

"It's getting colder and you brought only spring clothes with you."

My eyes opened wide and my mouth did pend a little. I couldn't bring myself to believe my ears. This was too much, it was too… weird to be true. So, inside that box were… clothes. For me. Because it was cold and I didn't have winter clothing with me.

And how did he know that? And since when did he… care about my well-being, to the point of bringing me clothes? O.k., this was too much for me. I felt shocked. And not to mention… positively surprised.

However, the words coming out of my mouth were absolutely misplaced.

"How did you know my size?"

Yeah, right. From all the questions I could pose him, this one couldn't have been more absurd. I regretted it immediately, but I couldn't do anything to change it. His eyes were still on me, searching for something. I didn't know what that was. But I didn't care. Moreover, his answer was fast.

"I didn't have to measure you to find that out." He declared. "Besides, your clothes do have a tag mark."

Wow. I didn't expect that one. I didn't know what surprised me the most… if the fact that he was peaking in my clothes to find out my size or… the reference he had made to "measuring" me. What the hell was that supposed to mean? What, did he knew I had measured him when he was asleep so I could buy him his correct size? And how could he know about that? He was dead asleep when I had done that!

Well, apart from that, I remained… astounded. What was this? Was this his whole new facet? A caring, worried… man? Why? I mean, I wasn't expecting such attitude from him. Ever. I was getting used to my blanket, already.

Really, honestly… I had to say something.

"You didn't have to-"

"You were wandering around wrapped in a blanket."

His affirmation – more like an accusation – hit me harder than a rock. I felt bad, all of the sudden. I left his eyes and looked down, trying to find something adequate to say, something that could justify my action… but nothing came. What, was I going to say "_It was cold_?" No, of course I wouldn't.

He was the one breaking the silence, while he stepped slowly in my direction until he was completely in front of me. Not far, not close. But close enough for me to smell the faint essence he exhaled, driving my senses astray. I could only see his clothes, a dark, huge volume ready to envelop me in shadow. His influence on me was completely uncontrollable.

Thankfully, he was the one who talked, a welcomed diversion to my confused mind.

"And since your pride does not allow you to ask anything from me, I decided to do it myself."

I could only stare back at him as a reaction to his words. His tone was so soft that it didn't even seem it was _him_ talking to me… him, the arrogant, cold general. There was a slight portion of hurt in his speech as well. Behind the irony, behind the accusation, behind the justification.

It was all true, really. I was proud. I was stubborn. I was avoiding him. And I didn't ever consider asking him anything at all. I felt speechless. I had no words to offer him. I had nothing to say, as I let myself to travel inside those amazingly green eyes, allowing him to have access to my regrets and emotional flares, as well.

"I-"

"When I said you had everything you needed here, I meant it."

And there it was again. He, interrupting me, knowing already I wasn't going to say anything concrete. And his tone matched strangely his gaze intensity. Those were warm words, I almost felt them wrapping me, cuddling me… to him. It was beyond words. It was an amazing sensation. And I liked it… a lot.

"O.k." I whispered, not leaving his eyes, barely blinking. "Thanks." I added, trying to be as polite as I could, trying to thank him with my eyes, with my words, with… God, he was so handsome. And when he wasn't wearing that cold mask of him, his beauty was even more… distinct. His face was so… perfect, his strange eyes so… consuming.

I almost did dare to hold him. My body was screaming for his touch, for his contact. I wanted to thank him, I wanted to tell him that his thoughtful attitude had been wonderful and that I enjoyed this caring, soft side of him more than anything. I wanted to… and I almost did it, if his stare wouldn't have changed suddenly. In a blink of an eye, the neutral, bitter mask returned to his face and my impetus decreased immediately. He nodded in my direction, a clear sign of approval – I guess, and then he left. He made his way to the kitchen and closed the door, leaving me standing there like an idiot, next to that paper box.

I had never felt this foolish before.

And I had never felt such rushing inside me, as well.

-/-

I took a considerate time checking out what was inside that paper box – almost the whole afternoon. There were blouses, shirts, a warm wool coat, jeans and… underwear. And a couple of pajamas, as well. I admit I blushed at the sight of the underwear - bra and panties, varied patterns, mainly black and white and different… fabric. Mostly it was cotton, but some were kind of… lacy. I couldn't help but to wonder – what, did he choose this? Where? When? Or did someone choose this for him? And how did he manage to bring this huge box to this place? What, did he have a jet or something? Every item was brand new, all of it had the tag on it, a clear sign it had been bought somewhere.

Exhaling loudly, I sat in the bed, trying to control myself.

I had to ask him. I would have to find a way to get some answers. My troubled mind wouldn't let me rest tonight without any concrete explanations.

So, I waited. I waited for him to get home by 7 pm and I thought… a lot. I tried to imagine the best way to ask him about it, the words I would apply. I didn't know if I should wait for him to finish dinner, or ask him right away, in this very moment.

It was tricky. I should be more relaxed.

But the fact was I wasn't relaxed. On the contrary, I felt as nervous as an adolescent getting ready for her first date.

_Gosh, you're really silly, Sora_…

In the end, I waited. Ten minutes, and I was already at the kitchen door, my hand up, knocking faintly.

The seconds passing by seemed like an eternity.

**A/N – I know, it's cliffy. But I had to cut the chapter at this point. Oh, the next one will be worth the wait, you'll see :D **

**So, you know what to do: review, suggest. Speak up your mind. Tell me your deepest desires LOL. I would like to know your opinion, on how their relation-ship is evolving. Do you like it? I know, there's a lot of tension between them. How do you see them? How will that turn out, in your opinion? Who will make the first step? And how? **

**Let me know guys. Your words are most needed. **


	21. Chapter 18

**A/N – Hello there! Well, I don't want to see you suffer anymore, so there you have it, the new chapter. Sorry for the cliffhanger:D I can only hope this chapter is worth the wait.**

**So, a couple of things here I want you all to know: first of all, I got extremely happy with the reviews and stuff – you are ALL amazing and encouraging:) like anything I've ever seen T_T**

**And, as a **_**special request**_** from **_**Yamilian**_** – I added there a Seph's POV concerning the clothing and underwear buying. And since everybody got so enthusiastic about the underwear… here it is! In his POV there are other items and eventual questions answered – as to "Where the hell is he every day?" So, that question is answered as well. If there's any subject NOT-answered here, please let me know – review and I'll be glad to add that extra information in the next chapters.**

**I did not forget about Cloud Raithwall – your question concerning Sora's "problem" with our general's name! I'll explore that in further chapters, don't worry.**

**My thanks to my faithful AMAZING reviewers**** – Takara, The Ninja and the writer, Akamura, Cloud Raithwall, Ikuni Hattori, and the recent addition Yamilian (welcome to the family LOL), and also to Wolfempressokami, who reviewed Dreamcatcher for the first time – thanks for your words***

**To everyone that added the story to fav's and alerts, my sincere thank you's and just to let you know that I'm always available to listen/read your suggestions and… whatever. Just review LOL**

* * *

**Last chapter:**

…

_In the end, I waited. Ten minutes, and I was already at the kitchen door, my hand up, knocking faintly. _

_The seconds passing by seemed like an eternity._

_**Chapter 18.**_

"Yes." I heard him say.

Ah, finally. _I was almost dying with anticipation, here_!

"May I?" I asked, opening the door and peaking inside the kitchen. He had already eaten. By now, he was searching for something inside the drawer next to the refrigerator, while turning his head slowly in my direction, nodding in response to my question.

I entered. And my will froze immediately.

"I…"

Right, nice way to begin a conversation. I felt my voice disappear right after the feeble "_I_" I had proffered seconds ago. I didn't know how to put it, how to explain myself. So much for rehearsing my speech for almost an hour.

I looked at him abruptly, determined to ask him what I wanted. However, as I found his face, my will did vanish in less than a second. His face showed amusement, a faint smile designed in his lips, his eyes on mine, his eyebrows raised in sign of … total awareness.

I couldn't feel more mortified.

And here I was, facing him, my resolution completely destroyed by his presence and…

"What is troubling you?" He asked.

Thankfully, he had been the one saying something. The silence and the expression he wore were starting to freak me out.

"I…I was wondering if I could ask you some questions." I said, trying to show confidence and neutrality. Well, I had a feeling I was failing completely at it.

"I figured." He said, preserving his expression. Really, couldn't he just be a little less… inflexible on me?

"So… may I?" I rephrased, hoping he would allow me to ask him what I wanted to ask him. However his face remained the same. Terribly sexy. Truly, teasing me with such tantalizing neutrality.

"I can see you liked the clothes." He said in respond, disarming me completely, eyeing my clothes. I had one of the items he had brought, on me, this precise moment. O.k., why couldn't he just say "yes" or "no", instead of changing the subject so… bluntly? Well if he didn't want me to ask him whatever it was, he only had to say it. Nonetheless, I answered his recent question.

"Oh, yes, I did. Thank you. Really…" Nodding ridiculously, I found myself easily in a total loss of words.

"You're welcome." He answered, clearly provoking me with an amazing soft smile on him.

_Bastard_…

"They're nice. All of it." I added, trying to get to the point in a softer way. Really, it would certainly sound better than "_Hey did you choose that underwear for me or what?_".

"All of it." He quoted, slowly, nodding as I did previously. I could only gasp at his attitude. Not only I was feeling humiliated here, but I was certain now he knew – exactly – what I wanted to ask him, unmasking the outlines of my skeptical speech, my words filled with… embarrassment.

_Oh, what the hell, just ask him already_.

"Did you choose it?" I heard myself say, my tone a little too low. God his angelical face was making this – apparently simple questioning event - terribly difficult on me.

"Some of them." He said, relaxing his face. Really, what kind of answer was that?

_Some of them... Which ones, then?_

"Oh." Was all I could manage to say.

O.k. I was failing completely here. This wasn't a dialogue, this was only a very obvious way for me to make a fool out of myself.

"What is it that you want to know, exactly?" He said, crossing his arms and resting his right hip in the kitchen counter. His face showed objectivity – well at least he wasn't angry – but still, I didn't know how could I put in words what I wanted to tell him, ask him what I wanted to ask him.

Instead, something extremely misplaced came out of my mouth.

"You sure do seem to know very well the kind of clothes I'm fond of."

_God, did I say this, really_?

"I'm very perceptive." He answered immediately, not giving me time to blush or to think about the idiocy I had proffered seconds ago.

"Oh, right." I said, since I wasn't able of saying anything else. My mind was a total blank. And, to my dismay, it did remain that way for three eternal seconds of highly-scrutinizing gaze from the… General, there. All I could manage to say was…

"Anyway… thank you, I-"

"It's the third time you thank me today."

His voice, his tone, were categorically driving me insane. Insane, in most several aspects. Insane, because he did enjoy provoking me. Insane, because he did tell me what he wanted and I wasn't able of getting any information from him. Insane, because the sight of him affected me in ways I had long forgotten by now, and I didn't know how to… control it.

And his eyes did travel inside me once more. His stare – so far, but yet, so close – invaded me and captured my emotional doubts, my erratic cardiac rhythm, stealing the tenderness my eyes… inevitably… broadcasted to him.

Luckily, he was the one speaking again.

"I cannot tell you where I got those, or how I transported it." He said, and I left his stare after he said those words. This was frustrating. "And I did choose the underwear."

O.k., that one had earned my attention. What, was he mocking me?

"Very funny." I said, eyeing him with stiffness. As if choosing female underwear could possibly be the most normal thing in the world to do, for a guy like him! I couldn't imagine him choosing specifically that – dreadful sexy, I might add - lacy underwear for me to wear. It was too… weird to be truth.

However, is voice did knock me out of my introspection.

"What's the problem? You did choose my clothes – underwear included – when I was at your apartment. I'm just returning the favor."

_Oh, for Christ' sake! Am I supposed to buy that one or what_?

"Really." I said, my tone completely misbelieving.

"What?" he said, his face revealing a sudden surprise.

Really, he was a great faker. As if I could believe in that ridiculous piece of excuse.

"You expect me to believe in that?" I said, not hiding my annoyance.

"I don't expect anything. You believe in what you want."

Harsh words of him.

_O.k., have it your way you… you… argh_!

"Fine. O.k." I finally said, my face a clear mirror of infuriation. I should end our conversation right here, really… it would be better for us… both. "Good night."

"Good night."

I heard him answer me, while I was already turning, closing the door behind me, closing my eyes at the fury I felt, such impotency invading my will.

Back in my bedroom, all I could see was his stare, his eyes, his beautiful face. Staring at the contents of that paper box, I imagined myself wearing that underwear. And, in a perverted corner of my mind, I wondered… if he eventually would like the sight of me in that lacy, bold underwear.

I could only be losing my mind, definitely.

* * *

**Sephiroth 's POV**

* * *

I kept staring at the kitchen door, closed, for… too much time.

This woman's curiosity and her constant inopportune desire of knowing exactly the things I couldn't tell her were exasperating.

She wanted to know so many things. How, when, absence of answers did disturb her, her mind, her sanity. Her heartbeat changed, peaked every time she was about to ask me something, as if her body had the conscience she was daring, stepping into dangerous ground… facing me.

I breathed out noisily, staring now around me. Dealing with her wasn't as simple as I predicted. The worst about her was… the kindness her eyes exhaled, disguised with feeble words and reverberating speech.

_It_ made me week. _It_ made me difficult to be who I am… who I am supposed to be, distant, cold, serious. I cannot attach myself to her, I'm no man for such thing. I belong alone, nothingness is my company… _It has always been._

How am I supposed to ease up her interest? I couldn't be more distant than this.

But I had to care… to a point. I couldn't let her wander around, under the freezing wind, cold. It's not… right not to care at that point. I want her to be comfortable around here. Around… me. No, I mean, not necessarily around me… that would be virtually impossible.

I narrowed my eyes, chastising myself.

_What the hell am I thinking_?

I've done too much already. Her intriguing questions, her hidden questioning look behind her last appearance next to me was proof enough of that. I cannot expose myself like this. It will give her the wrong impression and… it will lead to misunderstandings. And I don't want that. She's here for a purpose. She's here for a reason. We - me and her – have a deal.

And I have my own stuff to do, I can't afford to… worry. I'm too busy for that.

I let my right hand and fingers touch my forehead, massaging it a little.

_What am I doing_?

Realizing sadly I didn't recognize myself anymore, I couldn't avoid remembering the afternoon I saw her sleeping in the porch outside the house, wrapped in that honey colored blanket. The sun hit her partially and she slept like an angel. I was far, but I could see her, perfectly. Every detail of her face, every part of her brown hair, shining strangely as the light wind breeze hit her. I felt my heart constrict once more.

_Fuck. I don't want this to happen again. Ever_.

My angry mind screamed at me, making me to get away of the spot I was at, to a more secluded one. I walked, for what it seemed for hours. I reached part of the mountains I haven't, yet. The chilling breeze blowing up here was great… fine, amazingly mind-cleaning.

_Just solve it. Now_.

O.k., I was decided to do this. No more tempting images of a sleeping, innocent woman would haunt me anymore.

I reached for my phone inside my coat – a satellite device, untraceable - just like the majority of the equipment I had with me, hid in a concrete spot in the mountains, an abandoned cabin I had used to store equipment Shinra had disposed for years. All operational, but the technology was a bit obsolete already. I had been hold responsible for the disposal of all of it. So, one forsaken weekend, I did do what they asked me to. I disposed of it… and I kept it hid. I brought every peace, every component of the equipment and I installed it here… literally in the middle of nothing and nowhere. In that moment, there was no concrete reason for me to do that. I just followed my guts. Maybe back then, my instinct did know something I didn't.

For now, all of it is very useful to me – every day, I grow aware of all the operations Shinra's up to, how the communication follows… and the orders given by the president. Not to mention the constant rush the Turks are in. The equipment offers me knowledge, only – it has no capacity of communication whatsoever. And, given its antiquity, it is untraceable as well.

So, this is the place I go to, every morning, at dawn, to listen to the whole Shinra' staff communicating between them, discussing tactics, weaponry. Sometimes my name is mentioned. And I don't know if that's a good thing or not. There are no references to my survival. No one seems to talk about me as if suspecting I am alive. No one seems to be aware of the truth. No one from Shinra seems to suspect a regular woman did found me, hid me in her own house and nursed me back to life, feeding me, fearing me, and always showing a kind face to me, although my presence did scare the hell out of her.

So, concerning my survival, I was somehow at ease. Nonetheless, every day I checked the course of the events. And, until now… nothing. No suspicion at all.

Apparently, I was safe. I was safe, hidden in this little paradise I had built for years.

My mind roamed.

_O.k., just focus_.

I dialed a number I used to know. A number that would end up in the major clothing storage house I knew. We, the military, used it sometimes to order our own clothes. I ordered always by the phone, but I remembered some of my subordinates doing it online.

Since I was a man of a simple taste, I didn't need to see it. I simply knew what I wanted. Straight lines, fitting size. Period.

So, I would do the same… this time concerning woman's clothes. As the phone rang, that characteristic "beep" sounding repeatedly, I simply waited for someone to get it.

It took some time, but finally someone did answer the damn phone call. Quickly, I reached for the button "Voice distortion". There was no way I was going to expose myself like this – I had to be careful, even if no one suspected I was alive. Definitely, I couldn't let someone could eventually recognize my voice… although I knew that would be extremely improbable.

"_Midgar clothing storage. Male or Female_?"

"Female" I answered, my tone flat.

"_One moment, please_."

This was standard procedure. And what most enjoyed in their service was their privacy policy. Everything was anonymous. No one stick their noses into nobody's business. And that was exactly what I wanted.

"_Size, please_." A voice asked, suddenly.

"_M._" I answered, automatically. Well, how did I know that? Well apparently I am a very observant man. Yes… right. O.k., I admit. Maybe I had looked at her more times than I should have. And maybe I had noticed her forms and… her… size.

After that, a bunch of questions about female clothing followed. Blouse patterns, shirts, jeans, coats. I was getting fed up with it already.

However the worse part came when someone mentioned the underwear section. I almost blush when, in my mind,the image of… a very delicious Sora, only in her underwear, came up. Not that I had ever seen her like that – I hadn't, really. But my mind was playing tricks on me, most definitely.

Confronted with the questions of fabric, patterns and bra sizes, I felt myself lost. Not to mention embarrassed. Man, I was glad no one was here to see my face right now.

I answered to all the questions using mainly my instinct and the mental images I had of her in my mind. Real and non-real ones. I had the fame of being a very attentive person. And it was all true, but… honestly, I didn't know I was so aware of… her. Of her body, of her form.

It did disturb me, really. And the image of her, completely… half-dressed… where did I get that image from, anyway?

I didn't know… and I didn't want to find out, either.

The phone call ended with the details of the shipment and the recipient's address. I had thought of that, as well. The shipment would arrive to the closest city and I would get it… discreetly. I would fly there and back again, using the night as the perfect shield to cover my extra appendage. I couldn't let anyone see it. I couldn't let _her_ see it.

What would _she_ think of me if she saw me like that?

That I was some sort of mutant?

That I was a freak?

That I was …

Who was I, after all, but a bizarre gathering of alien and human cells?

* * *

**A/N – So, are you pleased?**

**I can only hope so… I did my best here, and honestly I don't think Seph's out of character. He's falling for her so… his paranoid mind does change a bit. Even though he's freaking stubborn, as you all may see. **

**Ah, sweet emotions running up that hill LOL**

**Tell me what you think. Any suggestions concerning our pair here? **

**[Let me know if you think Sephiroth's out of character or not. That possibility really freaks me out…]**


	22. Chapter 19

**A/N - There you have, the brand new chapter! I know, it took some time to come out but time is running really short here. **

**Well first of all, I have an announcement to make: I officially declare this story BETA'D by Ikuni Hattori. So, from this chapter on, Dreamcatcher will be constantly revised – everything to improve the quality of our reading and writing. **

**Now, the usual thank you's: to my faithful readers and for their incredible supporting words and critics: Ikuni Hattori, Akamura, Yamilian, Cloud Raithwall, Takara, The Ninja and the Writer. **

**What would I do without your reviews:)? That's it! - Nothing LOL**

**And for all of you who constantly read and enjoy this story, I can only hope this (and further) chapter (s) please you and that this story plot entertain you as much as me. And, to those who are wondering that I eventually tricked you about the rating, don't you worry because I didn't. It takes time to get the characters to a level of intimacy that justifies the rating. I'm not particularly fond of fics that rush the events, so I wouldn't dare to do that to a fic of my own. Don't you forget they just met (basically) and Seph's not exactly a regular man. **

**So I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's Sora's POV again. (That's why I didn't put my usual - **_**Last Chapter –**_** component here.)**

_**Chapter 19**__._

That night I had some trouble sleeping.

There was his face, all over my head. There was his shape, standing, quiet and neutral as always. There was his body, calling me to him, his silence haunting my senses.

I tossed and turned in my bed for what seemed like hours. I stared at the ceiling, listening to the arboreal sounds outside, the trees, the leaves and the wind whistling, dancing in between those, deafening my ears in such late hours.

But him…I couldn't listen to him. His words, his strangely caring speech of before, confused me. What was his purpose? Why did he behave this way? Was this a way for him to have fun, make fun of me? Did he care… for me? Did he, to any extent, at all?

I guess that question was my problem. Every thought I concocted lead to it – the probability of him, eventually, caring for me.

I would like to think that he did, maybe too much. Maybe, deep down inside, I would desire that with too much eagerness.

This was – definitely – getting out of control.

Days passed and my doubts, my desires didn't fade. Discreetly, I tried to see him, meet him casually, as if the lunch had taken just a little more time to be done. The first day I expected to see the man who had been so nice to me, but instead, I saw… and felt the disinterest of his older self I was so not used to anymore. He didn't even bother to look back at me when I greeted him "Good morning", "Good afternoon". From him, I only received a low grumble in return.

The day after, it was raining. Raining, really, with capital R. As always, I hadn't heard him get up and leave but I was somehow worried. I mean, he was out there, somewhere (I didn't know where, exactly) and he was going to get wet. It was simply impossible for someone not to get soaked! Patiently I waited, next to the kitchen door, for him to come. However, that day he came up through the main door. As I heard the locker noise, I rushed to the door and I felt appalled with the vision my eyes allowed me. He was dripping, from his hair to his feet. His clothes completely stuck to him. Quickly, I asked him if he was okay and I was going to ask him if I could do something to help him out but he stopped me before I began. He didn't speak, he only lifted his hand in my direction, a clear sign for me to stop (whatever I was doing – in my case, walking towards him and speaking) and he simply said, with the most disinterested voice I had ever heard: "_It's only rain_."

And he didn't even look at me. He passed by, headed into his own room and closed the door.

I stood in that hall, shocked, for a few moments.

What was his problem? What had I done? Did I offend him? I had to have done something, to deserve such treatment… and that was what I did the next day, and the following.

I thought about it. I thought about what could I have possibly done to deserve this indifference, about the why's behind his attitudes, namely the obvious avoidance in looking at me.

_Wow, I must be very ugly_, my mind concluded, with irony. Or maybe he was fed up of having me around and he didn't stand my presence anymore. Or maybe he simply did not _see_ me. That was a very evident theory, as well.

And all I could ask myself was why. Thousands of times, I asked myself why, why was he being so cruel to me, why did he consider me so insignificant to the point of not even looking back at me when I greeted him.

There were times the constriction in my throat and eyes were too much to handle and I had to let some pressure out. Thick tears rolled down my face, falling randomly on my hands, on my clothes, on my legs, when I sat down on my bed during those eternal afternoons. There were times my anger was too much to bear and I thought of asking him what was his problem. But, even if I had rehearsed my speech, my words, my questions to him, all of my guts to do it were completely destroyed by his unconcern. Funny, how his attitude, instead of fueling my will, had the opposite effect.

"_He doesn't deserve my tears_," my mental voice affirmed, while I let myself wander around the house. I knew he didn't, but my body thought otherwise. And I chastised myself for that, as well. How could I possibly care for him when he was being such a cold-hearted monster with me, for no apparent reason at all? Well, apparently, I could, but I kept my feelings well hidden inside myself, in a small, grieving corner of my soul.

As hours, endless days went by, I started pretending he wasn't around anymore. I didn't greet him, I didn't say a word, I didn't look at him - if, for some miraculous reason, I saw him around.

It hurt me, but I did as he did, as well. And I didn't understand why, but I did it. It was the only way of not breaking apart while he was around.

Friday came and with it, the perspective of laundry. Somehow traumatized with the events from the previous week, I felt nervous. Swiftly and silently I entered his room, realizing – thank God – he wasn't there. I got myself entertained during the whole morning, preparing lunch and running away from the kitchen much earlier than predicted, only to avoid meeting him. Since I knew he usually resumed himself to the kitchen at lunch time, I did barricade myself in the basement for the whole time, starting the washing machine with excessive leisure and exploring the somber place for the first time.

There was a moment I heard footsteps. His footsteps, right above my head.

_Great_…, I thought, realizing I was completely trapped. I heard attentively, trying to figure out what on Earth was he doing in that dojo of his at this time of the day. His movements weren't precise but, luckily, I didn't hear him move towards the basement door. His footsteps faded away and I breathed out in relief, trying to catch my breath and to calm my heartbeat. The perspective of see him, in this place, at this time of the day, was… disturbing.

Truth is, I didn't want to see him or talk to him. _He_, was… simply a very troubling presence to my feeble consistence, for now.

I stayed there until the laundry was done. Mainly thinking at myself, I let time went by.

The next day was cloudy and – it was freezing cold. After my quick morning shower, I got dressed – with all the clothes he had bought for me – and I started with my routine. Today I was somehow curious with the perspective of ironing. I took a considerate amount of time to find the iron and the place where I was supposed to iron the clothes. Proud at my apparent glimpse of independence in his house, I found myself entertained, forgetting for some moments I was somehow mad or sad, given his incomprehensible attitudes. Lunch time passed by and I didn't hear him in or out the house. And I didn't care.

It was almost dusk when I decided to put the ironed clothes where they belonged. My bedroom was already prepared, new sheets, all cleaned up – but I had to prepare _his_.

_Right_, I thought, breathing in deeply. Okay, I would do this quickly. Change the sheets, put his clothes in the closet, period. That was it.

I walked slowly in the hall, trying to find out if he was inside or not. Truth is, I didn't hear him the whole day… I had no idea if he was in the house or not.

I stopped, and tried not to breathe for a while, trying to catch up a noise, anything, that could give up his presence, somewhere.

There was nothing.

Okay, I was definitely alone here. But I would do what I had to do fast, nonetheless.

I roamed around his bedroom chaotically. I wanted so bad to change the sheets and get the clothes in place fast, that I almost tripped in the old sheets in the ground while I ran around the bed, there and back again, like a busy bee. I was feeling somehow childish, rushing the bed-making only to avoid him, but hey, he had started this.

Finally done with his bed, I opened the closet and I started arranging his clothes in the right place. Well, in this part I couldn't rush it much, otherwise I would fabricate a mass of semi-ironed clothes inside his closet and… I don't think he would enjoy that. And since I didn't wanted to talk to him… I would have to do this nice and neat, to that he wouldn't have to complain.

"_Coexist, nothing else_…", I remembered his words, while I was almost finishing with it.

However something did catch my eye while I was already closing shut his closet doors. It was something, some sort of… device, abandoned in one of the shelves inside it. I narrowed my eyes, trying to figure out what was that. Reflexively, I approached and I reached for it. I was square, it was solid. It was black.

It was my cell phone.

My mouth opened and my eyes bugged excessively, as my hands grabbed my phone, observing it as it was a very precious artifact. I didn't think of anything in concrete. I was just simply… surprised… and happy.

My cell phone. It was there. I had it, in my hands, again.

Smiling openly, I flipped it open and I touched the screen and the keypads. It was off – maybe the battery had run out. I wasn't very careful with it, anyway.

But my fingers did have a mind of their own and, before I knew it, I was already clicking in the power button. I was greeted with a green, yellowish light and dialed the pin code. Not a second after, the device seemed to have life. There was an extensive and long search for network and, then, it beeped, loud. One, two, three times, four, five… and then some more, and I couldn't stop it, even if I wanted.

"Shit!" I said, while my mobile screamed – literally - in my hands, not obeying my fingers, echoing in that bedroom, in the whole house. I tried to shut it off, but to no avail. I looked at the screen, text messages and missed calls reported, and…

Finally, it did stop. 47 missed calls and 24 text messages later, the phone seemed now exhausted of so much effort, completely drained of energy. Well, the battery was low and I didn't have much time to see from whom were whose calls and the text messages before the phone was dead again, so…

My will suddenly froze and I felt a shiver running down my spine as I caught a glimpse of movement next to the bedroom door.

I didn't have to look to see it was him. I didn't have to turn to realize he was walking towards me. And it didn't take me much effort to realize he was angry.

I was kind of afraid to breathe, as well. I felt him stop considerately close to me. Ten inches, maybe less, maybe more, I didn't know. I was too shocked to think straight. I kept staring into the darkness of his closet, extremely aware of everything around me, like a trapped prey inside a cage.

I wanted to say something but nothing came out. With my cell phone in my hands, I remained standing, not knowing very well what to do.

Seconds seemed years as I felt his stare on me, on my face, on my trembling hands, on the glowing device I had in front of me.

Instinctively, my stare did turn, slowly, to meet his. When my eyes did found his, I regretted immediately my option. He was so angry. Annoyance was all over him. His eyes insulted me, his facial expression hurt me.

And then, his hand rose and he made me a sign. He put his hand with his palm up, gesturing with his fingers, for me to give him… the phone. He didn't even bother to say anything. He just stood there, mimicking an order with his right hand and kept staring at me.

I didn't have much chance here. I had to give him the damn phone.

Hesitating slightly, I turned completely in his direction and I handed him the device, avoiding his stare, whose intensity was - most certainly - capable of creating a hole within me.

"I-I didn't mean it, I-"

My faint speech was interrupted by crushing sounds. When I turned to see what it was, I caught a glimpse of pieces, destroyed components of what used to be my phone. It had no recognizable form already. The screen was shattered, the battery torn apart and then… everything else was simply plastic reminiscences of a former decent mobile phone, abandoned randomly in the ground that surrounded us.

I felt a shiver – again. Was he capable of doing this with his own hands? Was he such a brute?

"_My God_," I thought…,_"What did I get myself into?"_

His eyes seemed to linger on me forever. I didn't dare to say anything, I was so scare he would attack me or something.

"Out." He said, with a low, decisive tone.

His breath did reach my right ear and I did move towards the door, not daring to say a word. I wanted to, I wanted to justify myself and explain everything to him, but he didn't let me. His eyes didn't let me.

As I reached the hall, I heard his bedroom door closing behind me. My heart was beating wildly, and I felt a sudden need to sit to gain composure.

I went to the kitchen, where I sat for a couple of minutes, while I let my breathing rhythm go back to normal. I looked around, and I thought maybe it would be better for me to prepare dinner. Well, at least I was entertained with something – and I needed that, right now. To avert that terrible stare of his that seemed to burn my mind since the moment he entered his own room.

My peace of mind did last for five minutes.

Suddenly, I heard his bedroom door – again. Then, the sound he made exiting it. And finally, his form reaching the kitchen door, wearing that very same expression of before.

"_Oh my God…_"

Okay, I was desperate. But hey, what was I going to do here? Run? Where to?

Well, if the scenario was already horrifying, seeing him closing the door behind him did made me step back a little.

He was scaring me to death.

"Let's get some things straight here." He said, with a dark tone, stepping slowly in my direction.

God, he looked like a lion hunting a fucking zebra. Of course, _me_ being the zebra. Anyway, I did think he was preparing an attack or something. His eyes were almost glowing with fury. Okay, I had to do something here.

"I'm sorry." I said, while I stepped back, mimicking his own movement, but in the opposite direction, until I found… the wall. I was so trapped. "I was arranging your clothes and I found it accidentally. I wasn't sneaking…"

"I never said you were sneaking." He said, approaching me.

"Yes you did. Your eyes… your stare's accusing me of it." I confessed, like I was saying something extremely necessary.

I glued myself to the wall, the cold of the kitchen tiles intruding my clothes, making me shiver slightly. He was very close to me right now, and all I could see was black and gray – his clothes, his hair. All I could sense was the warmth his proximity exhaled to me, reaching me discreetly. His scent was the last thing I could notice, although I was too much stressed to realize how gorgeous he was, so threatening, right in front of me.

"What were you thinking?" I heard him say, all of the sudden. His eyes searched mine and I didn't understand why that was so necessary, I mean, he could speak to me without looking at me. He did that all the time, why not now?

"I-"

Oh, God, the staggering was already beginning.

"Who were you trying to reach?"

I bugged my eyes at his question. What, was this all about that? Because I was trying to reach someone?

"N-No one, I-"

"I've killed for much less than this."

"I told you, I…"

Despair took over me, stealing words and coherency from me. I couldn't say anymore than this. God, did he really wanted to see me dead this much?

_I must be really meaningless to him_…

"Do as you please," I said, looking back at him.

"Excuse me?" He said, narrowing his eyes.

"If you want to kill me, there is nothing to stop you," I affirmed, daring.

"You're bluffing." He declared, not a second after.

Honestly, this was really annoying. Not to mention unfair.

"What am I supposed to say? I told you the truth, and yet you threaten me with death. I cannot invent a justification that doesn't exist! I wasn't trying to call anybody, nor was I sneaking, nor was I… "

And then, words ran out once more and I felt myself lost in his stare. I couldn't grasp what was there, specifically, but all I could do was… remain, as I was, diving into the depth of those green eyes.

"From now on, you'll only enter my bedroom under my surveillance," he suddenly affirmed, his complexion hard.

God, why? Why was he behaving like this?

"Did I do anything?" I suddenly asked, and my question did seem to catch him by surprise. The hardness of his face did change a little, into something I could not name – surprise, maybe? I didn't know.

"What?"

Okay, he was really asking for it.

"Why are you treating me like this? Was it something that I-"

"This is who I am. Get used to it."

And, with this, he disengaged his stare from mine and exited the kitchen, closing the door behind him loudly and leaving me staring at nothingness, glued to the wall, like an abandoned piece of furniture.

**A/N – Talking about being unpleasant. Seph's definitely wins the gold medal O_o**

**So, what do you think? He's trying too hard to hide it. And so does she.**

**Oh well, all I can say is… One day, it will have to break. Let's see who will break first:)**

**So, let me know your opinions and … don't forget to review! ^.^ **


	23. Chapter 20

_**A/N - Finals. It's all I can say to justify my delay. **_

_**I will thank properly to all of you who review in the next chapter... and hope you like this one. It's huge, and it's dedicated to all of my avid readers, supporting reviewers and incognito's that read but don't comment:) a huge thank you to all of you!**_

_**And , of course, to my amazing BETA, Ikuni Hattori, to her wonderful job and patience. What would I do without you? :D**_

_**SO, there you go. Have fun reading* **_

* * *

_**Last chapter**__:_

"_This is who I am. Get used to it."_

_And, with this, he disengaged his stare from mine and exited the kitchen, closing the door behind him loudly and leaving me staring at nothingness, glued to the wall, like an abandoned piece of furniture._

**Chapter 20**.

"_This is who I am."_

His words haunted me for the rest of the day.

After our uncomfortable confrontation, I stood there, next to the wall, for a while, contemplating the nothingness. My eyes were blank, devoid of any emotion, while I remembered his words, his stare, his cold, heartless complexion, reminding me of my inability to avoid his… character. I had to get used to it, to him, to his awkward way of dealing with things, and, truth be told, I didn't know if I could. I didn't know if I was capable of standing this for… an unlimited period of time.

Eventually I did wake up from my daydream and, without appetite to eat anything at all, I went back to my room and made no extra appearance that evening. I sat in the bed and remained in silence, contemplating what would happen to me, to my sanity, in days, months from now. The thought of it was unbearable. The silence that surrounded me crushed my feeble hope, my fragile attempt of having a normal, decent living. Occasionally, I listened to his movement, in and out of his bedroom, into the kitchen and, finally, to the dojo. For the first time I heard him, murmuring. I heard it - the sword, the acute, dry sound it made against something I couldn't concrete what it was. It did scare me, this non-silenced version of him. Usually, he was so silent I didn't notice him, ever. I didn't know what to think of this sudden change – this alteration in his way of dealing, alone, with something that he couldn't control: Me.

I was the one stepping into his world. I was the one ruining his peace, his perfect existence where his rules were the law… and, most likely, the safe passage for him to live just like he wanted.

I didn't leave the room that night, not even to go to the bathroom. I was afraid of finding him half-crazed or something, right after the noisy training, and … hurt me. Kill me, with a single stroke of that huge piece of sharp metal of his, just to eliminate the threat of his personal peace.

_Me_.

Strangely, even to myself, I didn't cry. I guess I was too scared to shed tears anyway. And, only late night, I woke up suddenly, to find – finally – that crushing silence that I cursed so much before, to find it …soothing, now.

After relieving my physical needs as silently as I could, I returned to bed and I slept - a deep, and profound sleep.

The days that followed were calm. I didn't see him – for a change – and, honestly, deep down inside, I was thankful for that.

I wasn't capable of feeling that unstoppable rush anymore, when I put on the clothes he had offered me; I wasn't capable of feeling nervous when the hour of his arrival approached. As days went by, I was starting to feel number, not minding if he was there, leaving, arriving or staying. As long as he didn't talk or look in my direction, everything was fine.

For now.

My mind was strangely muted and, without putting extra effort into it, I found myself getting busy with things I had found rather entertaining.

The vegetable garden outside had become an enjoyable hobby. There weren't only vegetables outside, but also animals. I had made acquaintances with a little family of white rabbits that seemed to populate the area around the house. They weren't much – thankfully, or the vegetable garden would be no more – but, I had to admit that their company was refreshing. I did spend a considerate amount of time outside. The days were shorter, the cold was becoming icy, and the days that dawned with sunny rays of light really felt like a blessing.

Each day I ventured a couple meters in the woods, trying to follow the sound the water made, far away from me. However, his words of warning, telling me not to leave the house, did make me stop in my tracks.

But every day, each meter, each inch of unknown forest I stepped, I felt closer to… liberty. There was something about that far running water that attracted me. I didn't know, if it would be the sight, the surprise or, simply, the fact, defying him, going against a direct order. Maybe it was none of them. Maybe it was everything altogether.

One of my rodent friends was especially fond of me. Unlike the others, who seemed to keep a safe distance from me, there was one of the rabbits who was specially brave – one day, I was standing in the middle of the vegetable garden, my mind absent from time and place and, all of the sudden, I felt movement next to me.

I looked, amazed, facing that tiny, albino fur, with dark, shiny eyes and twitching nose. I let out a sincere laugh, while I stared at the little rodent next to my feet.

Day by day, I had to admit the outside did call for me more and more. Rainy days were terribly boring, since I had to remain inside the house. But, thankfully, the sun happened to be in accord to my wishes and the majority of the days were passed next to the vegetable garden, hearing that far, distant noise the water made, seducing my mind, my will.

Today was Friday and I got up unnaturally early. My eyes opened and, for the first time in many days, I heard him. He was preparing to leave, God knows where.

I didn't care… at least, not anymore. I remained laid down, cozy with all those thick wool blankets, my eyes excessively open, an unnatural dose of adrenaline flowing inside my veins, almost impossible to control, almost impelling me to get up and… go. Somewhere. I didn't know.

With some difficulty, I might add, I heard him finally leave the house. He had used the main door this time. Why was that? Oh, I had nooooo idea. Temperamental as he was, he could exit through the ceiling, if he wanted to. Honestly, at this point, it wouldn't surprise me...

I got up quickly and faster than I expected, I was already prepared for my new day, right there in the kitchen, opening that door that lead to the porch.

The day was starting – it was dawn, and the sky held the most beautiful color palette I had seen in days. But that was not what surprised me the most as soon as the door opened – I had someone waiting for me out there. A white, furry thing, standing in the porch, literally… waiting for me.

I laughed at the site of the little rabbit.

"How brave we are today!" I said, with an open smile, and the little rodent did run, making way into the green bushes.

Today I was feeling especially heroic. I didn't know why, but I couldn't lose focus of the water running far from me, taunting my senses. The thought of how that potential river, or lake or whatever watery formation it was, was overwhelming my senses.

Breathing heavily, I did consider my options.

Okay, I wanted to find out where on Earth was that place. But how? I couldn't walk, I didn't know the way and the vegetation was so thick that I would get lost, for sure. I didn't even know in which direction that place was, I could hear the water running all around the house. Definitely, I needed to get a sight of it. I needed to get a little glimpse of it, so I could make my conclusions. Venture for it, or not.

I looked around, trying to find out a solution. From where – could I get a sight of a _faraway_ place? My eyes reflexively did travel to the porch, then to the windows, then… to the roof.

One second passed by.

Okay. It was a possibility. If I could get to the roof, maybe I could be able to see something. At least, more than this limited field of vision I was permitted only.

Okay, I was going to do it. Definitely, yes. Come on, it was early, there was no way he was going to find out I was trying to reach the roof to see a bit more of the landscape available out there.

I didn't know where I got the energy to move this much, in such an early hour, but I didn't freaking care. I went to the kitchen, for a couple of chairs. I tried to find the best spot to put them, for me to climb and reach the roof.

It took me almost half an hour to get the chairs positioned in the way I considered less… dangerous – at least for me, for my integrity. During the process, my actions were under surveillance by a pair of rodent dark eyes, scrutinizing me from the edge of the porch. Damn, even the rabbit looked like… it was assessing me or something.

"Do you think I'll be safe if I climb up there?" I whispered in its direction, my voice doubting the safety of my own… ladder made of chairs.

I looked around once more, hesitating.

_My God, I'm talking to a rabbit there_…, my mind censored. Yep, it was true – I was talking to a rabbit, asking advice concerning my safety. Really, I was really loosing it. And that idiot… _guy_ was the one to blame. He didn't talk to me, he didn't say anything but occasional grunts, he didn't… he simply didn't do… anything. I was nothing to him.

_Nothing_.

The last word echoing in my mind gave me strength enough to perform my little challenge. So, with my courage well nourished inside me, I did climb, carefully, through the ladder I improvised and then, first my hands, then elbows, reached the edge of the structure, allowing me easily to reach the roof of the house I lived in.

It had a considerate slope, so I had to be cautious. As I walked – slowly – on it, I did slip a couple of times. Given the chilly air of this… place in the mountains (which I had no idea at all where in the planet I was, anyway…), the roof was slightly slippery, mainly in certain areas. So, carefully, very carefully, I did find the highest peak, where the slope was more pronounced, so that I could position myself to see… whatever it was.

The seconds passing by seemed like"hours, the anticipation I was feeling was… overwhelming. I wanted to see, I wanted to see something different, ahead of so much green and rock. I wanted to see… something.

_Please, let me see something other than this_.

Okay I was somehow despaired, I knew it. My anxiety for something new to my eyes almost did make me turn around while I was climbing. But I resisted the temptation and I waited until I reached the highest spot of the roof. Slowly, I turned and… almost couldn't believe my eyes.

I did stare, stood, with mouth half-open, for what it seemed… hours? The landscape above the house wasn't that different, not much unlike the perspective I already had, but I was able to see… more. More extension of vivid green, woods and rock, new forms of the mountain ahead and, slightly to the right, the rays of sun shone upon something. It shone, like thousands of stars, of lights altogether glimmered so intensely… on water. Those sparking forms were, simply, rays of light hitting the water surface of something… a river, maybe.

I had found it. Before I knew it, I was smiling openly, at myself, at the landscape, at the feeble winter sun bathing the morning.

I felt a rush inside me, my brain wanting to memorize the direction.

_Okay, okay, it's Southwest._

It was, indeed. My happiness was exhilarating, and I wanted to see more, to be sure I was seeing it right.

_You got it, Sora, it's-_

I couldn't end up my mental sentence nor listen to my inner voice anymore, because greediness got over me. Overwhelmed as I was, I did risk tiptoeing. Clearly, I wasn't thinking straight. Tiptoeing, in a sloped roof – it demands a lot of balance. And I didn't have much. Well, at least not enough to remain standing decently, as an honored human being.

All I was able to think was "_Shit_" and, after that, "_Oh my God, please allow me not to break anything_". I couldn't see anything, except the texture of the dark roof excessively close to my face, while I expected the worst yet to come – the moment I would (literally) fly and reach the ground. Or the grass, if the odds were in my favor.

They weren't.

All I could do was tense by body and close my eyes, hoping I would hit the ground the best way possible, the least injured possible.

The scarce seconds I was in the air were tense. And finally, when I hit the ground, I genuinely felt how bad my idea of climbing to the roof had been. Not to my mental health, but to my physical integrity.

The rest of the morning was terrible. I felt aching everywhere. After hitting the ground, I did make a considerate effort to check myself out and conclude I hadn't broken anything. I had little rocks and earth in my face, my hair, my clothes. My hands had scratches, as well as my forehead, next to my right eyebrow. Oh my God, after this I was going to bruise badly, I was sure of it. Thank God it was winter, and the clothes did hide the most of my skin.

Shit, I had been stupid. What was I thinking, anyway? Why did I tiptoe?

_Damn, Sora, why aren't you ever satisfied_?

It was true. I was a very curious person. And my curiosity did stick me into a lot of mess. This one, included. Now, being trapped here with this man, this… _being_, all because I couldn't control my own nosiness. Now, for falling of a roof for… wanting to see just a freaking inch more of sparkle in the river.

I did walk inside to clean myself. I changed some of my clothes and disinfected the little wounds my face, hands and body held. They were mainly just scratches, so, no big deal. The bruising would be the worst but… it would fade with time. I, better than anyone, knew _that_.

After that, I busied myself with erasing the proofs of my little adventure and, after I was done cooking the two main meals of the day, I did return to my room, determined not to make anymore appearances today.

Next day, I felt like I had been run over. Everything hurt, from my head, to my toes.

I did get up later and slowly than usual – I couldn't make it faster, even if I wanted. As I went to the shower, I did notice the places where the purple was starting to make an appearance. Basically, it was everywhere, slightly dotted. The hot water that the shower provided me did ease me a little, the pain subsided a bit but the worst of all were my ribs. It really hurt. A lot. Oh man I couldn't have a broken rib…how was I going to deal with _that_?

Not knowing what to think, I exited the bathroom and went straight to my room, putting on the thickest and largest clothes I had available.

Today I would have difficulty in moving, to do whatever it was. Cooking, kneeling, grabbing things, pushing. Today, every daily, simple task would reveal itself… to be a freaking challenge.

When I was finally done dressing up, I went to the kitchen. As usual, I did open the door, the one that connected the kitchen with the outer porch and I went inside, again.

Confronting myself with the lack of some ingredients, I went for them, there to the basement and back to the kitchen again. I took ten minutes. My legs did complain immensely while I was going down and up the stairs.

Finally, next to the counter, I started with my usual vegetable peeling and meat slicing. Since I was standing still, my body didn't complain. But a tricky tomato did escape my grasp and fell to the ground. I knelt to get it but, in the process, I hit my ribcage on the counter, which made me groan with pain. Pain crossed my chest and spread to my body. I got up, my left hand touching the area where I hit mere seconds ago, like I was supporting its weight or something. I breathed in and out slowly and closed my eyes, focusing and repeating the breathing cycle several times, until the pain eased. It was working. Somehow.

"What happened to you?"

I opened my eyes reflexively and looked at… him. It was him, yes, right next to the kitchen door, by the porch side.

My eyes shifted immediately to the kitchen clock. It was 11 a.m. The bastard had arrived earlier.

"I fell." I said, not bothering to look at him and turning to the counter again, prepared to return to my cooking.

"Did you?"

Damn, his tone couldn't be more ironic.

"Yes." I answered, my eyes in the vegetables in front of me.

He moved from where he was. Unfortunately, he didn't step outside, but inside. Okay, I was willing to bet the next hour wasn't going to be a pleasant.

He closed the door behind him and placed his belongings next to one of the chairs. I could see him through the corner of my eye, while I pretended to focus in the food I was chopping, instead.

"Lunch is done at 12." I said.

"I know that."

"Okay then."

That was just great. He knew that and he was here, purposely, one hour ahead of schedule. Definitely, all odds were against me, really. From all the infinite moments he had available to arrive home earlier, he had to chose today – the day I was physically hurting terribly from my failed attempt of flying off the roof the previous day.

"Where did you fall?"

Okay, unnecessary question.

"The stairs." I said, my eyes in the food.

"Which stairs?"

"Outside."

"What were you doing?"

I did stop my chopping when he was done with his question. I stared the wall, the white tiles I had in front of me, and I let out a heavy sigh.

"That is not of your concern." I said. And, not a second later, I added, my tone low. "Your words."

He stood there, next to that chair, for what it seemed an eternity. I continued with my chopping and I didn't care. I had been bold, I knew, and I had to admit it gave me a rush. It was somehow gratifying to see how his own words did turn against him, oh so promptly.

However, my apparent winning was suddenly threatened by his proximity. Faster and swiftly he reached me, and his hand touched my arm - my right forearm, that was completely bruised and hurt. He was not rough, nor pushy. He simply knew what to do… and he accomplished it very well, as to be expected. His moves were so fast, I couldn't stop him even if I wanted. The knife my hand held fell and he exposed the slight purple-ish form my forearm displayed, along with the reddish marks of the scratches I had there, a nice decorating asset.

"Stop it." I said, looking now in his direction, but not straight into his eyes, while my face certainly would show a lot of discomfort. "Let me go."

"Do you think you can trick me?"

His tone was seriously hard.

"No." I answered. "I did fall and-"

He didn't let me finish, as his left hand moved to touch slightly the area of my ribcage. Bastard, he knew that place was my weakness.

"Ouch!" I said, now a little louder, reacting to his contact. "Don't touch me."

He did look at me intently even before the words came out of my mouth, as if I had offended him immensely.

"It hurts…" I said, trying to release my right arm from his hold.

"Does it hurt that much?" He asked, neutral as always. It took me a considerate time to realize he was asking me about the pain in my ribcage.

"It's nothing."

"Don't lie to me!" He said his tone rising, releasing my arm and allowing me to stand in front of him, a little afraid of his little explosion. I was looking at myself, covering my forearm again, pushing the sleeve to meet my wrist again. God, what did he want anyway?

"Let me see it."

His declaration did earn my attention. My eyes searched his and there, I was only capable of finding… authority.

"No." I said, a little taken aback by his words. There was no way I was going to show him my ribcage bruise.

"That is not an option."

His tone couldn't be colder.

"Yes, it is an option. My option. And I don't want to show you anything."

I was as surprised as him with my own speech. His eyes burnt into mine, punishing me for being so rebellious.

"I tripped, fell and that was it. Nothing more to it. And of course it hurts, it's recent. It will get better."

It was the best thing similar to a justification I had been capable of conceiving. It wasn't entirely truth but… hey, I had to talk him out of that idea of checking on my ribcage. It would be embarrassing.

"You may have broken a rib. Or several."

It was a point. But still. No ribcage showing.

"No, I didn't break anything."

"How do you know that for sure?"

Damn he sure was difficult.

"I just know."

Okay, I didn't know, but I couldn't feed his theory. I couldn't even considerate the idea of-

"You don't want me to touch you." He declared.

My eye-brows did go up when he said it. What, did he read my mind or something?

"It's not necessary." I said, trying to ease up the mood. This conversation would not be ending soon, I was willing to bet.

"I have seen a lot of broken ribs." He said, with a rather understanding tone. Oh, yeah sure.

"I bet you did." I said, irony filling my speech and purposely evading my eyes from his. I didn't know if he was just being a show-off, or if he was simply trying to convince me to strip in front of him.

"I just want to check your rib", he declared, his speech excessively slow, like he was talking to a child… or a mentally handicapped person. Man, _that_ got me annoyed.

"I don't want you to check on me." I answered, confronting his gaze and letting out the words as slowly as he had done. He deserved it. This, and a lot more.

"Why is that?"

"I just don't." I reaffirmed, his eyes not leaving mine.

"Am I that repulsive?"

Well, not exactly. There was a component of repulse in him – his attitudes, his actions, but he was not repulsive… physically speaking. On the contrary. That image, the day I surprised him in his own bedroom, invaded suddenly my mind.

Not good to my control. Definitely.

"I didn't say that." I managed to say, my tone excessively low. I was sure I looked like a little girl ashamed of confessing a very intimate secret.

Thankfully, it was his acid voice that broke up the silence.

"So, you prefer to remain in the uncertainty of having or not having broken ribs… instead of allowing me to touch you."

Okay, he had got me with that one. _Oh, fuck…_

"I'm fine." I said, trying to change the subject. Honestly, I didn't know what else to say to convince him that I didn't need his help.

"No, you're not. You are in pain since yesterday, or do you think I cannot hear you?"

_Oh-uh_.

"Did you… hear me? When, I-"

"In your sleep."

I couldn't believe my ears. Oh. My. God.

"I-I-"

"Just show me your bruising."

_Help. A little help here_.

"Honestly, is this really nec-"

"Yes, it is."

_Anybody_? I guess not. I couldn't believe I actually have to show him the damn bruising. He reassured the need of checking on me not only with his speech, but with his eyes as well. My heartbeat jumped and I let out a soft sigh. For Christ's sake, he was really going to make me do this. _Fucking manipulative bastard_.

"Just do it fast." I whispered, while my hands searched for the edge of my thick wool blouse, and the t-shirt beneath it.

I wasn't going to take out my whole clothing and remain with nothing but my bra. No way. _This_ was mortifying enough. So, I took the fabric and leveled it until the line my bra design was showing. My hands held it and my ribcage… and abdomen were completely exposed to his scrutiny.

I couldn't feel more uncomfortable. His eyes traced a solid line from my face to my bruising. My eyes and face remained looking down, trying not to look at him. I couldn't stand him, really. So fucking stubborn and scheming. I hated him.

A sharp pain knocked me out of my mental cussing.

"Ngh!"

His eyes found mine, and then I realized what he was doing. He was simply touching the bruising, marking the path of each of my ribs underneath all that purple, with his fingers. Strong, firm, searching fingers. He did know what he was doing, I felt it. Well at least he wasn't taking advantage or something. That, I wouldn't tolerate.

His touch was gentle, a nice contact, with hands I could only imagine destroying, slaughtering, asphyxiating. _Murdering._

"Nothing is broken." He suddenly declared, as he removed his hands and fingers from my ribs.

Slowly, I arranged my clothes and remained staring down. Embarrassed, as hell.

"Great." I said, my voice failing.

"It is." He said, still staring at me. Damn, I could feel his gaze on my face… and his obvious contentment for breaking my will. Obviously.

"Do you mind?"

I said, pointing to the kitchen counter. Well I had to go on with the food making. It was a good diversion for me. I just needed out this moment, right now.

In response, he stepped back a little, giving me space to maneuver myself. "What" was his problem?

"No need to feel so self-conscious." He suddenly affirmed, while I was already chopping vegetables again, his form resting next to the counter next to me. I was starting to believe he had this secret pleasure of annoying me every time we spoke.

"As if you knew a thing about what I feel…"

I whispered, facing the vegetables, as if he wasn't there, with me. Those words had been my thoughts, for so many days. Those words had brought tears to my eyes much more times than I would have liked. Those words had reduced me to misery.

"Sora…" He said, his voice like a caress. I was able to feel his breath hitting my face, as my name came out of his mouth. It wasn't the fact that he was close, it was the fact that he was being manipulative and mean, using me to his own benefit… or, worse of all, for fun.

"Don't. Just don't say anything else, okay?" I said, my voice hard, my eyes meeting his, a sign of confrontation. He narrowed his eyes to me, in response, before answering me with words.

"You despise me."

"I never said that."

"But you feel it. It's all over you."

Why was he accusing me like this? He was the one behaving like an ass since the very beginning.

"Stop victimizing yourself. You are the main responsible for my reactions towards you."

Our stares locked for what it seem an eternity. My angry, resented tone did have an effect on him, after all. His eyes were suddenly filled with something I didn't know what it was, behind all the coldness and annoyance given my attitude towards him. Reading him, his emotions, was terribly difficult. He hid everything that could eventually make him more human, more likeable, more enjoyable. He insisted, most of the times, in wearing that freaking mask of his that turned him into some kind of distorted creature.

"You don't understand."

His tone reflected a small percentage injury. But, it wasn't enough for me– it wasn't, not now.

"You bet I don't." I said, ironically.

If his eyes could kill, I'd bet I was well dead by now.

"You regret it, don't you?"

Oh, wait a minute? What sudden change of topic is this?

"What?"

"Saving me. Taking me out of the bottom of that reactor."

Oh, that.

"I wouldn't have saved you, if I knew I had _this_ expecting me. I wouldn't have, if…"

I didn't know why, but I ran out of words. My stare, still locked in his, my hands trembling, humid with the insides of several tomatoes I had eviscerated, not seconds ago. His complexion was something to see. I couldn't figure out if he was mad, angry, hurt, happy. He was simply… neutral. He had that freaking mask of his, on again.

I saw him leaving the kitchen without saying a word. He exited, silently, headed to the hall. And all I could think was… "_Did I say something that hurt him?"_

Yeah, stupid me. He did not care about me at any extent but I, still… felt bad for any eventual less appropriate language I had used towards him. I was really, really stupid. And I kept falling for his tricks and… for him… and...

"Fucking blasted specter…" I whispered, blaming my miserable destiny at _it_. That _thing_ that literally came out of nothing and… and… compelled me save him, to nurse him like a freaking baby and… to fear and hate him in every moment of the day, to miss his unwilling touch and occasional gratitude, to long for a scarce tenderness hidden right deep down inside the alien green of his eyes, waiting patiently for that cold, cruel mask to fall apart and-

"What did you just say?"

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**A/N - Cliffy. Cruel, right? And, since there is an obvious "turn" in the story, ****could we get to 100 reviews, people? Okay, it's a challenge! Go ahead and write something:) I would be extremely happy :D It's all up to you. **

_**(Don't worry, it's not that I won't update if Dreamcatcher don't get to 100 reviews...) :P**_


	24. Chapter 21

_**A/N – **_**Hey people! Finals are finally done and well done:D **

**So, first of all I would like to thank to all those who patiently reviewed and made it possible to reach the 100. I didn't want to take this much updating but this last month (June) was simply hectic!**

**To my beloved Beta, which was super-patient with me and my constant e-mails. **

**SO I hope this chapter meets your expectations… things will get extremely interesting in the ****next one:) Believe me. **

**Summing up… Enjoy!**

**Oh and just for you to know, **CyanDiamondIce **made a spectacular fanart about the story, SoraxSephiroth, go check it out in her deviantart link - check it in her profile.**** It's great, I loved it. Please, if someone wants to make fanart out of this story, you're welcome. I'm into it as well. Or at least I'm trying. **

**Anyway, enough of blabbering. **

**Enjoy this chapter***

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_**Last chapter:**_

"_What did you just say?"_

_**Chapter 21**_**.**

His voice sounded extremely altered. I could only stare at the tiles in front of me, my body tense, glued to the counter, my hands trembling with unfinished peeled tomatoes and a knife in my right hand. My eyes were unfocused, my mind hazed. And I was completely… frozen in place.

_.God_. What was I going to say to that? Repeat it, to reassure my last words? Really? No, I couldn't. He would not believe me. He-

Suddenly I felt him move. His steps, silent but fast, met my form in less than two seconds, his left hand reaching my left arm, making me turn to face him swiftly. As his chest was leveled with my face, his other hand grabbed my left arm, squeezing it. Both. Clearly, it was a painful warning for me to look at him once and for all and obey him.

"Stop it!" I said with a demanding, high tone, feeling his fingers dig into the flesh of my feeble, recent-hurt arms. He was behaving so unkindly.

"Repeat exactly what you just said." He ordered, his voice strangely low, comparing to my own. Oh God, it couldn't be a good sign. I felt my heart in my throat.

"What?" I said, more like a whisper, as my stare traveled up to find his. He meant it. Oh yeah, he meant every word he had said to me.

"You heard me _very_ well." He declared, almost hissing in my face.

His complexion was completely changed. But somehow I remembered that face from a very specific moment of our several encounters. His face was now a twin face of that man that had first awoken in that bedroom in my apartment, that had launched me to the wall and demanded answers from me, while he was holding me by my throat, my feet barely touching the ground. I had no choice here. I had to tell him.

"Fucking blasted specter."

My voice came out as a fragile murmur, as I tried to process his reaction to my words. It was something to see, the way he flinched at the word "specter". It almost made me forget about the pain he was inducing me with all that arm-squeezing. And, for the first time in my life, I saw the true face of shock overwhelm his fair complexion.

"Specter?" He breathed, in my direction.

I could only nod in sign of approval. Yes, it had been a specter. Now what?

"Where did you see it?"

"I… I…"

Oh God, this wasn't going to be nice.

"I am going to ask you one more time." He warned me, the words exiting his mouth slowly, apparently calmly. "Where. did you. see it."

I breathed out loudly, trying to gather myself. I was fucking scared, of this transfigured version of him. My body trembled with fear, and I couldn't do anything to stop it. And he felt it. He felt the panic his attitude induced in me. Finally, I was able to say something in my behalf.

"In the reactor." I said, as I remembered. "The night I found you."

"I beg your pardon?" He said, his tone low, filled with astonishment. Given his face, I could bet he was having a bad time believing me… or my words. What the hell was this anyway? Did he knew about the specter as well or what?

"I was… doing my thing when… I heard this noise and…"

God, this was difficult to recall. Not because I couldn't remember it or something – in fact I was able to recall it very well -, but because his presence in front of me, his harsh attitudes and his uneven breathing hitting my face were… disquieting me completely.

"Continue." He said, totally military-like. A freaking order.

"_It_ seemed like a person. I followed…it. I didn't know what…"

Okay. _Pause, Breathe in, breathe out. Another go, come on_. His dissecting stare on my face was getting difficult to tolerate.

"It was like a specter, a woman. She had this ghostly appearance, like she was levitating and… she had this one shiny eye and her hair…"

_Her hair was just like yours_. Yeah, now that I think about it, there were similarities. What on Earth was going on here?

"And?" He said, trying to get the information out of me. Okay, I had to stop thinking about the freakiness concerning the hair similarity. His and _hers_.

"She led me to you. I-I wouldn't have found you if it wasn't for her guiding me to where you were."

And after I said this, his face went completely blank. I honestly though he was going to pass out or something… or scream like a madman and destroy the whole house with his sword. Or maybe not. What the hell, I had no idea what to think.

"She led you… to find me?"

His words were low and filled with shock. I was completely lost already. Now I was willing to bet he did knew something I didn't, and that all this made some awkward sense to him… but not to me, obviously.

"Yes." I nodded, not knowing what else to say.

"What did she tell you to do?"

Oh, God, now this was the hard part. Again, I breathed in deeply, trying to gain some courage, I don't know, something to give me strength to confess him all about the weird things that specter had told me, had driven me to do, how she knew things about my past and, finally, the way she had gone _through_ me, that cloud of mist trespassing my body, commanding my will, assuring me that I was his deliverance, that I wouldn't regret saving him, because… "_he was not the only one that needed salvation_". Her words were clear as water, now, that I recalled every second that I had lived in the bottom of that reactor, with him asleep.

When I finished, all I could see was the shock and… the boredom his face revealed, as he processed my words. There was something he didn't enjoy about what I was saying.

"Are you certain of that? Every word?" His tone was hard, his eyes suddenly filled with a coldness that made me shiver only by gazing back at them.

I nodded in response.

Somehow he did walk away from me. Not completely as I wished, but it was something already. His hands left my arms and he stepped back a little, leaving a concrete space between us. Now, he faced the ground – some specific, infinite point there, his eyes barely blinking. His face showed a completely devastated man. This would be the face someone would have if a close family member had died or something. I almost felt pity. I almost… reached him, an attempt to comfort him. But I thought it would be wiser not to. I tried a basic approach instead.

"You know her."

My words earned his attention and his green, shiny eyes met mine once again, unfocusing from the ground. He gazed at me as if I had proffered something very pagan.

"She was my mother." He suddenly said. My mouth half-opened reflexively, in awe.

"Mother?" I quoted, instantly recalling the hair similarity. God, how was this even possible?

"Not biologically speaking." He explained, not leaving my eyes. "I happen to have her cells inside me."

Now it was my eyes that bugged. Her cells. Inside him. What, they were experimenting on him or something? God, is that the kind of stuff they do at Shinra Labs? Using the military as guinea pigs? I couldn't feel more appalled. This kind of information… was stronger than vodka.

"H-How did they-"

"I wasn't born yet. I was a… preliminary test subject that succeeded. Apparently. "

Oh for the love of God. How can someone do this to a human being?

Shock couldn't cover what I was feeling. And rage. Come on, testing on a fetus isn't ethical. One hasn't to be a scientist to _know_ that. However, another question popped into my head.

"Who is she?"

"Jenova."

His immediate answer almost made me loose the strength in my legs, to remain standing. Jenova. _THE_ Jenova? The so-called calamity that fell from skies? _It_ was a… _female_, after all? My God, were they hiding _it _in the company labs? A freaking alien?

This was too much information to handle. I had no idea "_The calamity_" was being held, used, tested. And much less that she had this womanly form. For the most part, the whole world took _Jenova_ as an event, not… a real, concrete piece of alien.

Suddenly, it hit me. _Oh my God_. I had been talked to save _him_ by an alien. What was this? Freaking X-files or what?

"Her voice led me to perform the massacre at Neibelheim."

I shuddered as I listened to his words. She had… ordered him to do that?

"Her voice?" I said, quoting him again. What, did she contact people mentally? Was that her strategy? And… why would she order him to do such… _thing_?

"I thought I was the only one with that privilege. Hearing her, listening to her melodic voice." He said, his tone angry. Oh, for Heaven's sake, not this, please. I couldn't believe he was this annoyed just because she _also_ talked to me, and not only him. Honestly, if he wanted that privilege, he could have it all, for what I cared.

"She only talked to me under that specific circumstance." I said, hoping my words would ease his mind. "I never heard her or see her after that."

He listened to my words but his complexion didn't change. He was still annoyed, and I really didn't understand why. He disengaged his stare from mine and looked randomly to a wall in the kitchen, and I saw how his right hand rose to his forehead, his fingers landing there and massaging slightly that area. His eyes burnt with curiosity – it was obvious.

"Is she..." He started, but I felt him hesitate. God, it was the first time I was seeing him so out of words. "…still talking to you?"

It was something hard for him to say, as if letting those words out was, somehow painful to him. Why was this man so strange?

"No. Since you woke up that day, in my house, I never heard her voice again."

Okay, there you have it. I could only hope the truth behind my speech could be enough to ease is mind. I didn't want the alien privilege. I had enough of that that day in the reactor, thank you very much!

"Why you? Why did _she_ choose you?" He said, his eyes burning on mine again. Now, all I could see in it was… indignation.

Oh, please. This was unbearable.

"She didn't _choose_ me, for Christ 'sake." I said, unaware of the annoyance my tone held.

"How can you say that? She honored you with her presence, with her voice and advices."

Oh, that. Of course. I let out a heavy sigh, desperate to try to understand his point of view. He really didn't get mine, as well.

"I wish she hadn't, believe me." I said, my tone slightly ironic. And I guess that, with that, I had said it all.

His eyes remained the same, unspoiled, oblivious to my irony. He wasn't getting it. His mind, his doubts and questions sure stood to other levels.

"This makes no sense." He whispered, leaving my stare and turning to face the kitchen door. He was as pissed as despaired for not knowing the real extent of the situation. That was pretty obvious.

I tried to say something, to tell him that this situation was really miserable but he didn't let me finish it.

"I'm really sorry that-"

"Don't. I don't need your pity."

And with that, he left. Probably to his room, I don't know.

With a heavy sigh, I looked reflexively at the kitchen clock. It was 12 am sharp. And lunch was definitely ruined.

I did finish the meals for that day. I ate something fast and I resumed to my room for some hours.

I did need to think a little bit about everything that had been said. But I didn't know what to think, to be honest. From the baby testing to the slaughter, from Jenova being a real alien to – actually – talk to me… I didn't know what to think of it.

All I could conclude was… that I understood Sephiroth's behavior now. Well, just a little. Not that everything he did could be totally justifiable by the presence of alien cells inside him. There was a lot in him that was mainly his inherent personality.

Truth be told, there was one thing that, somehow, eased my fearful mind a little: the fact that the whole slaughter thing in Niebelheim hadn't been of his making. It had been ordered by someone, by her, Jenova. So, after all, he wasn't … a cold-blooded murderer. All he did was accomplishing his mother's order… and I knew he had no choice against her, because I hadn't, as well. She was very strong-willed. She always got what she wanted. From me and from his supposed… son.

So he had earned some points on that. Not much of a psychopath, although he did behave like one… most of the time.

However, I felt somehow frightened. The way he had left today… was a prelude to something I wasn't going to enjoy.

I felt it, as clear as the water running southwest.

A week.

A bloody freaking week had passed and Sephiroth was behaving like an anti-social Neanderthal. I had bumped into him twice and his face couldn't reveal more disgust.

This was so unfair.

As if it was my fault his beloved alien mother had talked to me.

As if it was my fault she had chose me for whatever wicked reason, to save him.

As if everything that had happened was my fault.

What hurt me the most was, not only his face, but his avoidance in looking at me. Like I was freaking Frankenstein, unbearable to look at.

I felt like we were somehow receding…. this so-called relation-ship we were building, this occasional truce we had, talking sometimes, like civilized persons… all this was now disintegrating. Utterly and completely… falling apart. It was like a wall, a huge barrier forming between us.

And I… couldn't do a thing to prevent it.

Today was Saturday.

I woke up in late hours. I know, it wasn't my habit, but I had been sleeping terribly lately. The nights were almost passed wide awake, my eyes in the ceiling, my ears in the silence that surrounded me. Most of the nights, there was wind. A weird wind, the kind that threatened to shove all the trees, to tear all the vegetation. And then, suddenly, it stopped, to return a couple of hours later. The weather in this place was very odd.

As a consequence, I lingered the whole day, inside and outside the house, sleepy and tired. My head felt like I was having an extreme hang-over and even my recent rodent friend seemed to be missing lately.

As I walked into the kitchen, I noticed it was almost 3 pm. There were discreet signs of his presence in there, I was already used to read them. Languidly I had my breakfast… or lunch, depending on the perspective and I did clean up the little mess I had made.

After that, a hot, comfy shower followed. It helped to relieve the tension and to wipe up the bad vibes. I guess.

When I returned to my room, I get dressed specifically to go out. Today I needed to fresh up my mind. Today… I was willing to cross the line.

There was cold outside and I put on the only winter coat I had, the one of his choice. It was very cozy… and warm. I had dried my hair, since the day, albeit sunny, had a chilling facet. My hair was now longer. It reached the middle of my back and those portions next to my face reached my jaw already. Well, at least I could arrange those strands behind my ears. Better that than having hair insistently trying to blind me or something.

I passed by the kitchen and checked the hours: some minutes past 5, pm. I smiled to myself softly. Today, I was going to do what I wanted for so many time.

I exited the house using the kitchen door, the one that lead to that porch I loved so much. For me, it was more like the main entrance of the house, not the front door. I didn't know why, but I felt that way.

I reached the vegetable garden and surrounded it, to stop a few meters after. I focused. I wanted to hear the water, that amazing sparkling water running, so close, yet so far from me. Today I would see it. Today I would find the relief of breathing the freshness it would provide me.

_Southwest_, I thought, remembering that day I had seen it from the roof. Not two seconds after I heard it, that rushing, unmistakable sound. And, without thinking, I went exactly that way, not minding the thick vegetation, not minding how far it could eventually be, not minding if I would get lost or if I would find the way back home, eventually.

Now, nothing mattered to me the most.

I just wanted out. Out of that psychological prison, out of that place where that man had trapped me, in ways I could never imagined possible.

I walked for a long time. Maybe a couple of hours, I didn't know. But I was getting closer. I could hear the water running, each time closer, each time the humidity in the air was growing.

The rush I felt inside was now immense. I almost felt tears in my eyes with the joy I was feeling. I realized I was smiling. I realized that, most likely, I should look like a little girl going to Disneyland for the first time.

And, then, after a thick mass of trees, there was _that_ place.

It was a river with shiny, clear, limpid water, running at a regular pace. I reached it. The water was freezing but the sensations it gave me… it was like it was rinsing my soul, my sadness, my misery away...

It was simply beautiful.

It was still day time and the environment around me was absolutely renewing. I felt another person. I felt a sense of freedom I hadn't felt in a long time. For moments, I wished I was part of that river. I wished I belonged to something as pure and wild as Nature, so that I could no longer suffer more. I wished I could disappear and go… somewhere, where I didn't have to see his revolted face, his indifferent attitudes, his flowing ungratefulness.

So I sat.

I sat there, next to that river stream, and I allowed myself to wander… in dream worlds, in non-existent places, listening to that watery lullaby.

Eventually, I closed my eyes and let myself enjoy what was left of the day.

I woke up suddenly, to a dark blue scenario around me. I had fallen asleep.

That's not too bad… or so I thought.

_What time it is_?, my mind asked, and I looked automatically to the sky. There was no moon, only stars. The night sky was so dark it almost felt like I was being covered with a black blanket, adorned with little dots of white sparkle.

I looked around me, and the river still ran as before: calm, peaceful, totally unaware of my presence there.

_Oh God, how am I going to get home_?

Yep, it was a nice question. I had no idea how to get home. Not only the woods were terribly chunky, I couldn't even concrete the path I had taken. Oh, right, there was no path. There was nothing. There had been only my in-the-depths-of-despair tendencies.

Okay, I had screwed up big time. I was lost here – I had to admit it.

My mind flicked immediately to _him_. Sephiroth. What would he do?

_Well, as soon as he realizes I'm not at home, he will certainly be pissed, that's for granted. _

But… I wasn't completely sure if what I had done – leaving the house, going against his direct order, would earn simply harsh words and more of that indifferent attitude. He was right about one thing though – I did get lost. He had warned me once I would get lost if I ventured to the woods.

And, to my dismay, he was right.

His mood wasn't at his best lately and I… stupid me, had to risk myself like this, without even thinking.

Standing still next to that flowing river, I remained silent, without knowing what to do. But I had to do something. I couldn't say _here_. It wasn't an option… or was it?

_Okay Sora, focus_.

What were my options, after all? I couldn't leave, I would get lost. And besides, it was night already. I couldn't risk getting lost in the woods, God knows the wild animals that are at loose at night.

I could only risk – or, at least, try – to get back home, at day time. So, I had to stay here. I had to spend the night here. Freezing, like the dead.

I sighed, in despair.

_It's gonna be a long night_…, I thought, while I looked around, trying to find a place where I could sit and patiently wait for the night to pass by, where I could stay somehow protected from the icy cold that intruded my jeans. At least I had the coat on me.

It was really dark and I was having difficulty seeing… an inch in front of me. The silence that surrounded me, except for the noise the water made, was really making nervous. Isn't Nature supposed to be noisy, even at night?

I didn't walk more than two fragile steps.

I felt something behind me, a presence, a black continuum from the sky that surrounded me. I felt a cold, grabbing thing reach me… my face, my mouth. It silenced me, with a soft, yet firm gesture.

It smelled like leather.

"Don't you dare to say a word."

It was him. He was here, for me, he had found me. His murmured words startled me, since I didn't know what he was going to do next. His tone had fury imbibed.

"Close your eyes."

I didn't think twice. I closed my eyes, hard, trembling as I felt the rush of his hold on me, on my waist.

And then, I felt like I was being sucked into a mass of icy, uncontrolled vortex of wind.

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**A/N - The weather is crazy in that place, don't you think? R&R! Share your thoughts with me :D **


	25. Chapter 22

**(Disclaimer – As usual)**

**A/N – So there you have it. This one has something priceless in it… believe me!:D**

**My sincere thanks to all of you that reviewed… Tasha – I'm so sorry I didn't answer to your review, but since you weren't a member, I couldn't answer you back. But, believe me, you words did touch me. My deepest thanks for everything you said. **

**And to my usual supportive team – I won't name them, 'cause you're so many but all of you are priceless. Yamilian, I would like to congratulate you for your amazing fanart about the story:D. I felt mesmerized.**

**Oh and, for those who haven't checked my profile yet, I must tell you that I have a new website and a Dart account so, feel free to explore them whenever you like. My website contains lots of my original stuff, I will be uploading things constantly and… hope you like it. Join in, be a member, start a discussion at the forum, comment on the blog, sign the guestbook. It's a whole new world to explore :D**

**But… returning to FF7 world… there it is. The so-awaited chapter, at last.**

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_**Last chapter…**_

_"Close your eyes."_

_I didn't think twice. I closed my eyes, hard, trembling as I felt the rush of his hold on me, on my waist._

_And then, I felt like I was being sucked into a mass of icy, uncontrolled vortex of wind._

_**Chapter 22. **_

I didn't know how on Earth I got back home.

I could only feel cold, wind, a strange kind of wind, not constant, not like the average breeze I was used to. It was a feral wind, a raged and furious mass of air that most likely seemed to flow out of him than… anything else entirely.

Everything passed in a blur, a confused moment, minutes passing by, as if I was in and out of some portal in time. It was one of the craziest things I had ever experienced.

Eventually the haze stopped and I felt my feet in solid ground. Wary, I opened my eyes. I was next to the house. I was right there next to one of the porches that lead to the main entrance. As fast as I felt my feet in the ground, I felt him release me, letting go if my waist, his hand uncovering my mouth at the speed of light.

I searched for him immediately. But the night was dark and I couldn't see properly. We stood there, next to the porch, half-hidden in the night that surrounded us and all I could discern was some tall, black form, that flowing gray curtain now stepping in my direction, adorned with the green glow of his eyes. I was freaking scared of looking into his eyes. Those eyes wouldn't be kind. Those eyes wouldn't be friendly.

"So, is there anything you want to tell me?"

His words were so ironic that almost sounded funny. I couldn't help but to let out a small sigh, sign of pure discontentment. I was so close to explode he didn't even imagine.

"I wanted to take a walk." I declared, my voice firm, my eyes in his boots. By now we were merely ten inches apart and I felt his killing gaze on me. All of me.

"A walk?" He quoted, clearly not believing me. I was willing to bet this would be a difficult conversation.

"Yes, explore the surroundings, see the sights. Is there any problem with that?"

When I ended the sentence my eyes were on his already. I was telling the truth, and I wanted him to see that in my eyes. I hoped he could leave me alone soon.

"Yes, there is a problem with that, when I warned you not to venture outside the house."

Oh, so there we go.

"You don't _own_ me. You don't get to imprison me here forever." My words held a very angry and loud tone. Maybe louder than the acceptable, considering I was talking to a man that had slaughtered hundreds.

"Are you threatening me?" He asked, his speech excessively slow. It was a bad sign. It was a sign that he had taken my tone as intolerably intrepid. Nonetheless, I didn't cower. Too much had been made, too much had been said. It was enough already.

"No, I'm just telling you the truth." I declared, eyeing him all the time. "I have the right to walk outside." I added, marking my position.

_So there you go, mister_.

"Your rights are the ones I told you before. And you do not get to disobey me like this ever again."

His words were low, neutral and filled with certainty. Oh he was so wrong about me right now!

"Or?" I said, opening my eyes a little bit in his direction, genuinely provoking him. He was categorically asking for it.

"Do you have a death wish?"

My human heart did start to accelerate at that one. But I wasn't going to stop right now. I almost could feel the adrenaline pumping inside me with the rush his bad manners gave me.

"I'm not afraid of you. You do whatever you want, I don't freaking care."

Well, it was not exactly true. I was in fact very afraid of him, because I knew what he was capable of doing. I mean, literally. His next words almost disarmed me.

"You're playing tough with me. Yet, you are dead scared."

_Bastard. Can you hear my heart beat rising or what_?

"What is your problem, anyway?"

That was a very categorical question I was posing… and, definitely, it fitted his daily actions better than anything.

"My problem is that you were trying to escape, to run from me."

_Honestly, this guy isn't real_. My eyes bugged, resentful at such misplaced theory.

"Don't be ridiculous. If I wanted to run away, I would not leave in late afternoon, only with the clothes I had on."

_Obviously_!

"So you considered it."

_Well, apparently not that obvious for him and his roguish mind_.

"Don't distort my words. I wasn't trying to escape. I was only trying to breathe a little." I said, slowly and apparently calm. I couldn't get why on Earth he was being so suspicious about my intentions towards my little… walk.

"Do you think you can fool me?" He suddenly said, his face approaching mine even more than before. I caught a glimpse of his sudden grasp in his sword, tightening his hold on it, while he stared at me, judging me like I had committed some capital crime, worthy of the death penalty, minimum. Okay, this was achieving levels I could not stand – not anymore, anyway. So I started talking, calmly, my tone very controlled, my eyes on his.

"Sephiroth. General. Whatever. Do you have any idea of what it is to live here, daily, with you?" _Necessary break. Breathe in and out. Okay. Now, continue_. "Do you happen to think just a little bit about how I feel here, alone, abandoned, when you treat me like I don't exist?"

Okay, I had to say it and I had said it all. I couldn't be more direct than this. I had talked my heart, my guts, my… everything. And, truth is, I never thought I would be capable of doing it, ever. Not with _him_, anyway.

"You have everything you need. Your ungratefulness annoys me."

_What do you know about what I need_?

"And your psychotic attitudes are driving me insane." I said, maybe a little too loud for my benefit. "You're incoherent, unkind, uncaring and... sadistic."

My inspiring mass of adjectives could not have a nice feedback, obviously.

"I don't tolerate this."

He was starting to get angry. But, however… so was I.

"Too bad. I'm not shutting up, standing silently your whims."

My voice was almost breaking by the end of the sentence. My heart was beating so fast I could hear it, feel it in my throat, a terrible oppression building there. But no, this time there wouldn't be any tears. I was too furious to cry.

I stormed inside the house, using the kitchen door next to the porch. I didn't care if he was following me, I didn't care if he was going to slice me up with that sword of him. All I wanted was to say what I was thinking, what went through my mind, the terrible moments I had been through alone in this house, all because of him. He was going to hear it all. Oh he would. And if he wanted to kill me afterwards, I simply didn't care. Right now, I felt little better than dead.

When I was reaching the other kitchen door, the one that lead to the hall, I felt his grip on my right arm, causing me to turn unexpectedly. My eyes met his, and all I could feel was his wrath, his temper about to get wild.

"Who do you think you are to talk to me like this?"

"I am a human being, with rights and an opinion, in case you haven't realized."

He was so close to me and his hold on me was so tight that I almost felt incapable of speaking. But, nonetheless, I had been capable of speak. And very capable of throw at him rather powerful words. His reaction didn't surprise me.

"Don't incite me, Sora."

"I am not afraid of you." I said, mimicking his tone. "And let go of my arm, you're hurting me."

"You accepted my terms, but you seem to forget your duties constantly. I told you how things would be, I told you what to expect from this."

_Oh no, you don't want to go that way_,_ mister_.

"You told me, and I quote "_trust, respect and no questions_". Tell me when I disrespected you. Tell me when I showed any sign of not trusting you. Has ever been a day that you didn't have your meal prepared, or your clothes nicely hanging up, your bed nicely made?"

My speech seemed to catch him off-guard for a moment. But his neutral mask went back to his face in a no-time.

"No." He said, almost whispering.

"Right. But yet, when you get home, you pretend that I don't exist or that I am some piece of shitty being that doesn't even deserve to be greeted. Do you have any idea how it feels? Day after day, week after week, seeing you in and out this place without even a word, a freaking "_hi_", for Heaven's sake."

My words seemed to affect him in some strange, wicked way, but I didn't know why. His face hid something, some weird and wonderful, almost dangerous emotion that I wasn't able to grasp, specifically, what it was.

"I told you there wouldn't be any bonding." He suddenly said, his complexion hard. There was something going on here that I didn't understand. His eyes… were melting in mine, and I didn't know why. It almost felt like he was saying those horrible things to me but he was feeling completely the opposite. Creepy. Very creepy in deed.

"This isn't about bonding. I only want some gratitude in return for what I do. Some respect, not those… misplaced attitudes you seem to throw at me constantly."

_God, is there anything I haven't already said?_

"So is this all about my actions towards you? All this childish call for attention, this ridiculous attempt of running away?"

My face surely must have mirrored my disenchantment. He didn't get it, I had been talking here, speaking my guts out, for nothing at all. In the end, he did see me like an infantile brat purposely running from home to try and get some attention. This guy was simply impossible. How could he not see my point of view, after all I had said to him?

_This is a lost cause_, I thought.

"You sure are a cold bastard." I whispered, verbalizing the contents of my mind. There was nothing else inside me to say. Nothing else at all, but mild insults against purposely hurtful attitudes.

"Am I?" He said, ironic as always.

I felt fury building inside me.

"Let go of me." I said, my eyes leaving his and focusing elsewhere. He seemed to be having a bit of fun with my last few words.

"Or?" He asked, also mimicking my tone.

Okay, that was enough.

"Let the fuck go of me!" I said, almost screaming, my tone elevated like I've never dared before. Definitely, for the first time, I had listened to my voice. I had listened to my heated, irate speech. Inside and outside, I was fuming.

With a sudden movement, I freed myself of his hold and I left the kitchen. With large steps, I reached my room and I closed the door. Irritated, pissed at myself and at him, at the situation I was in, I took my thick coat off and launched it over the bed. For an eternal moment, I didn't know what to do, what to say. I needed to calm myself, or I would have a heart attack or something. Breathing in and out a couple of times, I looked towards the window. Maybe that was what I needed. Just to stare outside a bit.

However I didn't reach the window. Well, at least not completely. The door of my bedroom opened suddenly and I looked in that direction. _His_ direction.

Before I could know it, he was inside my room, closing calmly but swiftly the door behind him, his stare never leaving mine. I felt appalled; this wasn't a normal attitude of him. Even though, the words I had to offer him weren't exactly a mirror of the surprise I felt.

"Get out of my room!"

"You don't get to order me."

He said, while he moved in my direction. Okay, again that feeling of being hunted by some wild, carnivorous predator. The lights were out – I didn't even realized how dark it was. The absence of moonlight and that typical shadow of the darkness invaded the room, but his presence, his fury, _him_ – only the fact of being him – scared the hell out of me. He stepped, ridiculously calm, trapping me against him and the window. Well, not literally trapped. I felt the closeness of that physical barrier behind me – the wall, the window – and the heaviness of his stare and words that he was about to say, not a meter from me. I was pretty sure that, if I was a child, I would be wetting my pants by now.

"Good. Now let's get this straight, once and for all." He said, while he focused his eyes on mine, a way of reassuring his point. _Okay, I got it. No need to get that creepy_. "I am in charge here. And what happened today won't happen again. I won't allow it. And if you dare to talk like you did to me, again, we'll have problems."

_Problems. That's an understatement_.

"Oh really, what will you do? Hit me?" My voice came out sarcastic as ever. I was still angry at him, anyway.

"I don't hit women." He answered me, serious as ever. Or he missed the sarcasm, or he ignored it completely. And that left me with few to charge on him. Oh, but there is always something that can be arranged.

"Oh, right. That makes me feel so much better. So I assume you prefer to drive people insane instead."

_For instance, more sarcasm_.

"You know, irony doesn't fit you."

_Finally_!_ He is able of detecting irony after all_!

"Humanity doesn't fit you as well." I said, not knowing to well where this conversation would lead to. We couldn't play this throwing-angry-ironic-words-at-each-other forever.

"If humanity does not fit me… then, why are you complaining?"

Okay, he had gotten me. All of the sudden I felt empty, a void invading me, no contents available to indict him relentlessly. Gradually, I realized I had nothing inside me to tell him, not anymore. I had said it all already. I had accused him of everything. And the worst thing of all… he hadn't got it. We were condemned to speak the same language, but incapable of getting some sort of arrangement. Our supposed coexistence was, definitely, doomed.

_Hopeless_.

"Just… leave me alone." I whispered, while I turned my face and body to the window, leaving his presence right there behind my back. I know, it was rude, but let's admit it, he hadn't been kind to me lately.

"No, I won't leave you alone, Sora. You have said and done too much by now."

_Oh, for heaven's sake. Why, why me_?

"I shouldn't have come. You are completely better off alone." I knew my words seemed completely dislocated. I was out of subject, entirely. My mind roamed about the why's and the purposes of the situation I was in, a situation I had put myself into knowingly. How could I get out of this? Was there any possibility at all?

"Look at me when I'm talking to you." He suddenly said, grabbing my left arm and making me turn to face him.

He was too close. And I shouldn't be thinking _this_.

"What?" I said, searching his eyes and wishing that reality could be so different from what it was.

"Restrain yourself Sora, you and your foolish impulses or next time I won't be this merciful." Angry, resentful words didn't help calming my state of mind. On the contrary.

"I don't need your mercy. I don't need anything from you." I said, half-whispering, my eyes blank with despair. I wanted out of this. I wanted out of all this situation so much that I almost felt nauseous. But he wasn't going to let me go easily. I had offended him – and he had deserved every bit of it – but he wouldn't be leaving until he hadn't destroyed me completely. I knew that. I knew him enough already to know that… for sure.

"Is that so?" He said, half-smirking. He knew I was losing ground and he used it shamelessly against me. Bastard.

"You're a cold-blooded creature. There isn't a bit of human feelings in you." I declared, for the first time saying something I considered extremely grave. I had thought about it, multiple times, but I never dared to say it. Well, now, I felt at ease to say what I wanted. It looked like my words didn't reach him, like he had some sort of invisible shield around his brain that incapacitated him of processing my words. It was frustrating.

"Feelings?" He quoted, apparently lost in his own thinking. His hold on me loosened, until it vanished completely. His eyes were vacant, away from me and my own room, the situation we were in, the hours, the time and place in the Planet. There was silence, for almost a minute.

Only my feeble speech crushed it.

"You could let me go."

My low tone sounded like thunder. He blinked twice and he focused on me once more, processing my words, silent and mildly surprised.

"I have no idea where we are. This place… I don't recognize it. You could let me go and allow yourself the indulgence of not having me around you."

Well, I couldn't be more direct than that! I had to give it a try. If I didn't try, I would never know what he really thought of it.

However, his answer wasn't the one I would like it to be.

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

_Oh, for the love of God_! _More stubbornness_!

"Please, let me go." I said, again, now pleading. "What threat do I put to you? Why don't you just consid-"

"No." He interrupted me, not allowing me to say anything else. A renewed wave of fury invaded me, for the second time this night.

"Why? Why not?" I was almost screaming by now. "You enjoy this, isn't it? You enjoy hurting me, seeing me trapped under your will and treating me like I'm a freaking … thing."

"You're delusional." He stated, neutral as ever.

I was able to slap him. Literally. I breathed heavily in and out, a clear attempt to get a grip on myself. I didn't think he would be that understanding if he got slapped. Even considering he didn't hit women back.

"Why are you being so against me leaving? Why, if I am such a handicap, if I only bring you trouble and annoyance? Why do you insist in keeping me here, torturing me, why don't you simply free me of-"

"Because I don't want to!" He declared, more like hissing, angry, at me. I couldn't help but stare back at him, surprised with such ruthless, immature words. Slowly, his face approached mine, as if with that concrete action, he could be capable of reinforcing the idea, or making it more realistic than it was. "I don't want to..." He reinforced, whispering, his eyes burning into mine, while I felt the wall of my own room against my back and my head.

I couldn't say anything in response, although I wanted to. For example, I would like to tell him I didn't give a damn about what he wanted or not, but my brain wasn't capable of forming sentences, my mouth wasn't capable of saying a word. Nothing, nothing at all came out. I just stood there, my mouth half opened, shocked, surprised, smelling the essence that surrounded me, sensing his breathing hitting my face, my gaze lost in his own, for an eternal… second.

And then, suddenly, everything changed. He moved, fast, his actions blurring altogether. His body made contact with mine – his legs, his abdomen, his arms - and his right hand traveled to the back of my neck and, partially, my face, and then I felt his skin on mine.

His face, on mine.

The soft, tender flesh of his cheek meeting my own, so damn fast I couldn't process what on Earth was happening. My heart bumped and I shivered at his contact. And then, finally, when I thought I was dreaming or something, I felt his hand – the one that had grabbed my jaw and neck, pull me, my face, to realign with his own…

First, I felt his breathing… hot, urgent, demanding. _Tempting_.

Then, I felt tenderness against my mouth.

His lips, on my own… and my eyes shut down reflexively.

For a second, he was still, and so was I. I didn't know what to do, I felt completely taken aback with his… actions?

My God, he was kissing me. _For real_.

However, the indecision didn't last for long. His lips started moving, languidly, compelling mine to go along, to follow him. And I had to respond, I felt like it with too much eagerness... and need. His mouth moved softly against mine, exploring me, taunting me, tasting me. But never being excessively… pushy.

As my breathing accelerated, his did to. I felt it reach my face, exiting his nostrils, while his mouth left temporarily mine to readjust himself to my face. Changing now of angle, his hand pressed softly against my jaw, brought my mouth to open a little more. I knew what he wanted – and it scared the hell out of me. He wanted more intimacy, tongue included.

Nonetheless, I complied – as if I had a chance against him. His mouth found mine again, but he wasn't intrusive, as I thought he would be. We simply stood there, for fractions of seconds, our mouths half-open, my upper lip touching his lower one, until he made the move.

His tongue unhurriedly touched my upper lip and his movement inclined me to meet fully his mouth. With a ragged sound, he closed finally the contact with me and our tongues met, an electrifying and remarkable contact. As he ravaged tenderly the inside of my mouth, I had the sensation of levitating. He was extremely absorbing.

And he was so amazingly good at kissing – I never imagined a man like _him_ kissing like… _this_.

I responded to him with all I had in me – even if I didn't want to, even if I was hurt with his words, all I could think about was him, enveloping me like I was his possession, taking my breath away like I anticipated the imaginary man of my dreams doing so.

His taste was exquisite. His smell drove me mad. His tongue moved like he couldn't get enough of me. Oh well, I knew _I_ couldn't.

Reflexively, my hands, my trembling fingers reached his face and I touched gently his jaw, his ear. His hair, so amazingly soft and long. His tantalizing skin, driving my rationality astray.

_God, I want you_. My mind was completely out of control, and the hidden content going on in my head was slowly revealed through my actions.

I squeezed myself against him. My body, eager for more contact; my arms and hands, preparing to reach his neck and hold him tight against me, deepening the kiss, deepening the touch between all details in our tangled faces: his nose rubbing my face, his lips compressing mine like the world was about to end.

However I didn't have time to conclude what I was doing, to fulfill my desires. Suddenly, as fast as he had approached me, I felt cold enveloping my lips, my mouth... my body. It didn't take me much to realize he had backed away from me – from us, from the heated kiss we had shared. I felt my lungs in my throat and my heartbeat drumming, as if I had run a marathon or something. It had been a hell of a kiss. A very hot one.

As I opened my eyes, I could only see his back. His hair, his amazingly long, beautiful gray hair, his body still as a statue. I couldn't think straight. I was too appalled with … well, with all _this_ that had happened.

"I am…" He started, and I sensed, for the first time, uneasy in his tone. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to excuse himself out of this. "… sorry, I…"

And I wasn't capable of saying anything. Nothing at all, not even a miserable grunt. Or moan, if I was supposed to express myself correctly. How could I be coherent, if I still felt the reminiscences of his lips on mine, and the movements his tongue made against my own, like a small electrifying current all over me?

_Nope, not a chance of verbal coherence at this moment_…

And then he exited the room – my room, without even looking back. I saw him disappear, and the sound the door of his own bedroom closing.

I stood there, like an idiot, next to the window, for what it seemed an eternity. What had just happened? Why did he kiss me… like that? This hadn't been a simple, naive kiss, it had been a… very intended attempt of analyzing my oral anatomy.

As seconds passed by, my sight became less foggy. Definitely, his… actions had this terrible effect on me. I seemed like a little girl kissed for the first time or something… like that. Yes, it had been _that_ powerful.

One of my trembling hands reached my lips. They were hot, slightly eroded. His touch still remained on me, pulsing in accord with my heart beat.

It was exasperating.

I reached my bedroom door and I closed it silently. I reached the edge of my own bed, I sat and breathed in and out, deeply, barely believing what had just happened.

However, worst than the event itself, was something more. Something that troubled me much more: what was the meaning of this?

Why had he kissed me? And not just simply a kiss, an unrestrained impulse of lips making contact. No, this hadn't been just _that_. He had all the opportunities to stop, he could have discontinued it at any time … and he didn't. On the contrary, he… encouraged it.

_And so did I_.

So, where did this put us? Me and him, what were we? What was happening between us?

Did he care for me?

_Does he like me_?

I guess it was an inevitable question. Had this kiss been a simple manifestation of his… feelings for me or had this been… an occasional, wild episode, in the fever of the argument?

The desire I had to ask him right away was almost overwhelming.

But I needed to know. How could I deal with him, daily, after this? How could I face him without remembering his taste, his hold on me, and not knowing what he – really – felt for me?

I needed answers. Something.

Even if it was a simple "_Forget it_."

I stood suddenly and made my way to my bedroom door. Opening it, I went straight to his bedroom. I knocked at the door. One, two, three times. But no answer came. Nothing. Not a word, a movement, nothing at all. Just devastating silence.

_Just answer me, God damn it_.

Without thinking, I opened the door. But all I could find was the wind blowing and the cold, winter breeze filling the room, the window door that lead to the outside porch completely open.

And there was no trace of him inside that bedroom.

* * *

**A/N – Okay, finally some real touch going on between them. Hot, don't you think? Well… I think it's pretty much powerful. But, that's my opinion – I would like to know yours… very very much. I would like to know what you think about the kiss scene – after reading it, do you feel your heartbeat thumping as well? Well, if you do… I'm happy enough:D **

**Anyway! I have a challenge for those of you who like to draw. Who would like to make a drawing of the kissing scene? I would love to see how you guys "see it". It doesn't have to be the kissing itself, it may be the pre-kissing as well, which sometimes is more powerful than the moment. Anyway, I'll leave that to you guys. I'll try my luck on that as well… meet you all at our deviantart account!**

**Can't wait to hear from you!***


	26. Chapter 23

_**A/N - **_**There you have it, chapter 23. Let's just say I was ecstatic with your reactions - namely concerning the kiss of the last chapter. I am glad you liked it and, for those who enjoy this extreme tension between Seph/Sora, don't you worry, because there will be more. A lot more. Oh and I hope you all - who want to - may join the challenge and the contest - namely, "First-kiss challenge" and the "Dreamcatcher FF comic contest". Info: my Dart account/or my website. Can't wait for you to e-mail me!**

**ANyway, concerning the fic, my deep thanks to all of you who faithfully reviewed, you are all awesome and your supportive words do breathe happyness to me. I felt very touched with most of your comments and my ego is swelling. ANd not to mention my muse - it's pouring inspiration into me. And mostly thanks to all of you. **

**Also, For the Fav's, for the alerts, my sincere thank you's. For those who read but don't comment... and also to Tasha and Liet Alleianna, I couldn't answer you 'cause the system did not allow it but I must confess your words did touch me. Tasha, ff didn't show your e-mail - if you want, e-mail me directly. Check it in my profile. Oh and you should create an account here... Give yourself a chance:D**

**Ikuni Hattori, my Beta and patient you for everything.**

**Ok, I'll stop rambling. Enjoy.**

_**Disclaimer - As always.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 23. **_

* * *

**Sephiroth's POV**

_Fuck_!

I couldn't believe this. What was I thinking?

I should have killed her, I should have lacerated her into pieces after the offenses she proffered towards me. I should have… but I didn't.

Her sudden request to free her from me affected me. Her unexpected reference to "my feelings" softened my killing desire. Her fair, hurt face in front of me, so despaired, so childishly raged with my attitudes compelled me to do the unthinkable.

How could I have lost my control like this, losing it into… kissing this woman?

I didn't recognize myself. This wasn't me. I wasn't like this. Never had I wanted someone to the point of…

_Shit, what had I done_?

Lost in thinking, I stood against the door of my bedroom. I could hear her breathing, I could feel her puzzling and her desire of questioning me. Yes, that was a good point to consider. Why had I done that? Truthfully, I didn't know the answer myself.

I had to get out of here, clear my mind, my brain. I wasn't capable of giving her answers. I had to answer my own, first.

Without thinking twice, I got out of the bedroom, exiting through the window door. I didn't even bother to close it. I didn't care. All I wanted was to get to an isolated place and be at peace with myself, confront my thinking, my strange attitudes. I flew swiftly under the protection of the shadows of the night, until I reached a high peak in one of the mountains. I landed calmly and I let myself wander for a while, with no concrete direction. The night was ice cold and the air was thick in this altitude. I looked around but I couldn't see the landscape; my eyes couldn't focus; I was very, very disturbed with my actions of late to be capable of admiring the view.

I sat in a nearby massive rock.

With my eyes focused on nothing, all I could see was her. All I could _feel_ was her. All I could remember was her taste.

And… the way she responded. I had been bold, I had invaded her space, her privacy and she welcomed me, my touch in her face, my sudden curiosity of knowing how tasty she was and how comfortable it felt when our lips met.

Honestly, I didn't know what bothered me the most… If the fact that I had, actually, enjoyed kissing her, or the fact that she had responded me with equal fervor.

However, all this was completely misplaced. How could I ever sustain a relation-ship, if I never had one? At least, a real one, like those I saw so many engage in. I never had the interest to engage in something like… that. My mind was always too busy, my interests constantly diverted to military matters. In my life there had been no place for feelings whatsoever.

Only war. Training. The Lab. Comply superior orders.

And that was it. There hadn't been space in me for anything else. I had no time. I had no opportunity. I had no motivation.

Except for now.

Now I had a very pretty, teasing, tasty motive living with me, teasing my senses and driving my control astray.

Truth was… I didn't regret what I had done. I enjoyed every bit of that kiss and I had to put some considerate effort within my mental strength not to grab her and hold her tighter against me. This was a very strong emotion. And I… didn't know how to handle it… yet.

Anyway, what triggered this?

All I could remember was the panic inside myself, running through every cell, every corner of my body, when I didn't find her at home. The thinking of her eventual departure had elicited strange emotions in me and all I could think was that I wanted her with me, at home. All I could think was that I had to get her back, because I couldn't… handle without her presence. Not anymore.

So I flew, following her recent scent through the woods. She had gone southwest, towards the river.

And all my mind concocted was "_What was she thinking_?", "_Did she want to leave me_?". Deep down inside, I knew she did. But, deep down inside, I also knew she wouldn't. Deep down inside… I didn't want her to.

I saw her next to the river, lost and scared. She didn't know what to do and she was afraid. Most likely, of me, of my actions and angry words I would tell her soon.

So I took her and brought her home, half-raged and half-relieved for finding her.

Our argument had been terrible. Her words were true about her motives. She _really_ only had wanted to take a walk. But the reminiscences of my old-self prevailed for the most part of our conversation. I provoked her, and she fought back. She told me things I knew she felt but she had never dared to say. She accused me… and she was right, at some point. But this was me, all I ever learnt of how to be, how to behave, how to deal with people, was _this_.

This was who I was and she couldn't stand me.

So she opened her heart to me, she said nervously all those angry words, filled with hurt and sadness… and all I could do was stare, incite her to tell me more and more, until she would beg me to leave her alone.

To my surprise, events took another route. It all ended up with her asking me… to let her go, to free herself from me.

She didn't know, but she had touched a tender spot in my mental anatomy. I wasn't capable of letting her go. Not anymore. She was needed in my daily life, I wanted her next to me, close by. And I couldn't explain her why. There was no way of explaining it. It was the way things were.

I felt that she was, somehow_, mine_.

It was an obsessive, weird feeling, totally unfamiliar to me. But I felt it, so intensely, so desperately, taking over me.

Before I noticed, I was touching her. Before I could do anything against it, my mouth was on hers. And then, it all broke loose, and I couldn't restrain myself even if I wanted.

Luckily, my control did come back, triggered by her hand on my face. Yes, it was strange, but it allowed me, somehow, to regain the courage I needed to step away from her.

And that was exactly what happened. Swiftly, I left her, her lips, her face, her… contact. And I ran. Cowardly.

I knew, however, what would follow.

She, evidently, would have questions. She, obviously, will want to know why I did what I did. And the meaning hidden behind such… attitude.

I knew this, not because I was able to understand women accurately – truth was, I wasn't. I knew this, because her questions were also my questions… and I didn't know what to tell her in response.

How could I justify myself for kissing her thoughtfully?

It was almost dawn when I got home.

She was awake. I wondered if she had slept something. I knew I didn't. And I also knew she was expecting me.

Stepping calmly across the porch, I reached the kitchen door and I stepped inside. She was in the hall, hidden from me, but I could hear her. Her breathing, her anxiety.

_Why are you so nervous, Sora, if I was the one misbehaving shamelessly_? I couldn't help but to think that. Why was her heartbeat so accelerated?

I closed the door and I remained there, waiting for her to approach me. I knew she would, eventually. Her desire to question me was enormous and it filled the space between us like thick fog.

Finally, she moved, slowly, silently. She approached the kitchen door and opened it, only to find me standing next to the window, my back to her.

I couldn't face her. Not yet.

_Since when did you get to behave this cowardly, Sephiroth_?, my mind chastised me.

"I…" Her voice sounded, undecided, fearful, embarrassed. She wanted to ask me so many things, but words didn't come out of her mouth.

_Her soft lips, her appetizing mouth_.

"I know you have questions." I said, my stare fixed somewhere in the details of the landscape outside.

She answered me with silence, which was exactly the contrary of what she would like to do or say in that moment. Her nervousness was overwhelming.

"Why-"

"Tomorrow. Please." I said, interrupting her. "I cannot offer you an answer right now."

I knew I was postponing the inevitable, but I needed time to think. There was no point in telling her random things about what I felt, if I still hadn't understood my reasons yet.

She left the kitchen, closing the door behind her and went back to her room. For the next hour, I didn't hear anything. Probably, she was so silent she had fallen asleep. Most likely, she hadn't slept last night, just like me.

I sighed in relief, and I finally got the strength to eat something. I was starving.

* * *

**Sora's POV**

No answers… for now. That's what he had said. I laid in my bed, tired, sleep-deprived and anxious like a teenager, while processed the contents of those last moments of scarce dialogue we had shared. A conversation taken without eye-contact, filled with discomfort and… shame. I could feel the embarrassment flowing from him.

I had a feeling something was terribly wrong.

He hid his eyes, his face from me and even though I could guess how distorted his complexion was, mirroring the worry inside himself.

_What had I done wrong_?

_Nothing_, my mind answered back, concluding the inevitable. There was nothing wrong with me… or him.

We had kissed, it was a fact and… we both had enjoyed it. At least I had… immensely.

We couldn't take that fact back. It had happened and… now it was time to face the consequences. Consequences that seemed to bother him terribly.

I didn't know what to think. He wasn't an ordinary man. Even in his kissing, he was _so_ out of the ordinary. In fact, he was so simply out of the ordinary that… I couldn't even imagine how could I, from now on, live without his touch, without his contact… on me, holding me and grabbing me like he did, like… he genuinely cared for me.

My deepest desires were mangling with fantasy. Something was telling me he wasn't going to tell me "_Sora, do you want to be my girlfriend_?". Or something.

Truthfully, I didn't know what to expect.

But the certainty of knowing that he would eventually had a final word about it… made my heart constrict inside my chest.

I slept for what it seemed like ages.

However, when I woke up, it was still day time.

And the silence was overwhelming. A clear sign that _he_ wasn't at home, for a change. I did miss him, I did miss his touch. I wanted him to tell me he liked me, that he cared and that he wanted me to be with me.

Although, I didn't know if my thoughts would become real or not.

Lazily, I got up from the bed and went to the kitchen. I was hungry and my head seemed like I had been drinking like a crazy teenager in a prom night or something. Literally, I felt my head pulsing. It was the stress… it had been the whole situation since last night. The returning home, the argument, the… kissing. Then, his words and my silly embarrassment.

This was too much to handle. This was killing me with anxiety.

For I-don't-know-how-long, I randomly walked around the house, expecting him. Soon, it would be night-time; twilight was close. I sat next to my bedroom window, and I waited. I waited, whilst I let my mind roam in probable scenarios. Some more realistic than others.

Time went by for what it seemed like forever.

Footsteps did wake me up from my daily reverie.

I stood, immediately, automatically, my heartbeat rising. It was _him_. It could only be _him_.

Automatically, I left my room and went to the hall… and I waited.

I heard the outer door, the one that led to the porch, open, then close. Afterward, footsteps - but those were somehow different. What, did he change from his usual boots? It was odd.

The kitchen door finally did open. I was almost dying with expectation. What would he tell me? What would he say? What would be his first words? What would I see in his eyes?

However I didn't see any of it, because the person coming out of that kitchen wasn't him, the General.

It was someone different. It was someone my eyes recognized at once. It was someone that used to be my tormentor for so many years.

It was my ex-boyfriend.

For an eternal second, all I could think was… _How on Earth did he find me here? How could he find this place, if I don't even know where I am? How could he be here? He is real? _

"Finally, my dear." I heard him say. Yeah, he was real all right. It was his voice. His form. It was really _him_. Oh. My. God.

"How did you find me…" I said, my voice barely a whisper. I couldn't believe my eyes. He was really here… for me.

"You underestimate me." He said, standing in the hall, five meters from me. "I knew you would run. I knew you would try to escape, as always. So I had to stop that."

"What do you mean?"

"Your mobile was bugged, Sora. I've always known where you were, since you ran away the first time."

"Always?" I felt confused and scared. How could he have bugged my phone and how did I didn't noticed it? Was this even possible? Talking about being a psychopath…

"Yes, my dear, always. But this time I must confess you tested my patience. You had your mobile off for a long time… but I knew that, eventually, you would falter. You always do."

The image of Sephiroth shredding my phone to pieces filled my mind. Oh, how I wished I hadn't found the damn phone. Why didn't he destroy it without me knowing? Why didn't he throw it away?

_Oh my God… what am I going to do now_?

"What do you want?"

He started laughing at me. His laugh, deviant as ever, held a tone I didn't like.

"You're so naïve." He said, in between laughs. "Where is he?"

Now his question was suddenly serious. _Oh-uh_.

"Who?" I asked, trying to reveal some fake surprise.

"Oh, don't play that game with me, Sora. I know you're not here alone."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said, knowing he knew too much already.

"Oh you do know. You know very well what I'm talking about…" He said, approaching me lazily. "So, where is your knight in shiny armor, to save you from imminent peril?"

I didn't have an answer to that. I didn't know where he was, nor when he would be back._ If_ he eventually got back tonight. God, I was so screwed.

"He's not here, isn't he?" He said, smiling deviously. "I'll take you with me tonight, Sora. Permanently." He added, and my heart constricted at his words.

No. Not that living nightmare again. Not him, using me and beating me constantly. No way.

"No..." I said, my tone low.

"You don't have any saying in this Sora. You will come home with me, where you belong. Not here, not this place lost in the Northern Continent."

Oh. So, a little information about where I was. Not that it was of great help, but it was something. His slow pace in my direction did wake me up from my reverie. I wasn't willing to let him have it his way.

"I belong here." I said, not realizing the truth behind my words.

"You belong with ME!" He snarled, and I knew in that instant our civilized dialogue had ended. He would not be kind, he would not be gentle. He would take me with him with all his will, and I couldn't do anything to prevent him.

Or could I?

"Who else knows you're here?" I said, suddenly.

He smiled back at me.

"I work alone, Sora. I wouldn't engage a search for you with the authorities' help. You were kind enough to stain my record multiple times." Irony imbibed his speech.

Great, no one else knew he was here. So this place, this hide-out was safe. Or so I thought. I had no way to know he was lying to me or not.

"He will kill you." I said, not knowing where I got those words from. I felt it as a certainty, as something very obvious to say.

"Maybe. But you won't be alive to see it." He smiled, now stepping in my direction faster. I felt a shiver running all over me. So this was it. Go with him or die, at his mercy.

The hunt was about to begin.

"You'll have to catch me first." I said, and then I ran.

The adrenaline inside me was pumping and all I felt was the air, the wind hitting my face. I left the house using my bedroom window, with him in my tail. I reached the outside, the thick vegetation and I ran, ran like I was being chased by a lion, headed nowhere, just wanting to escape from the grasp of the one that would deliver me death, whilst I screamed at the top of my lungs:

"SEPHIROTH!"

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**A/N - I know, it's a cruel cliff. But it has a point. And this subject had to be solved. Don't you think?**


	27. Chapter 24

**A/N - So there you have it, as promised. A fast Update! ;) I won't take much of your time, 'cause this chapter honestly is one of my fav's and I don't want to keep you from reading it right away. **

**ANyway, thank you all for the huge amount of reviews! It was great, last chapter had a nice feedback and I got extra inspired, happy, emotional (LOL). Of course, my thanks also to those who added me and the story to fav's and so:)**

**My deepest apologies for the terrible cliff last chapter. I can only hope this chapter compensates it:)**

**To my only and one Beta - Ikuni Hattori - is there enough thanks you's? I guess no.**

**_Concerning the challenges/contest and general blabbering about the story and plot, please use the blog and/or the forum of my website (see profile). Or you can visit my journal entries in my DArt account._**

**But, for now, enjoy:D**

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_One night of the hunter_

_One day I'll get revenge_

_One night to remember_

_One day it'll all just end._

30STM – Night of the hunter

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_**Chapter 24. **_

"SEPHIROTH!"

The General's name echoed for the fifth time in that God-forsaken forest, in the middle of nowhere, whilst the sunlight faded, a prelude of the night's arrival. Still I ran, trying not to hit a tree or something that inevitably would slow me down meanwhile that diabolic man I used to love someday chased me, each time closer to me. It was predictable, he would catch me, I couldn't run forever… and he would end my life mercilessly.

Seconds passing by seemed hours, an eternity in which the beat of my own heart sounded like thunder. Strength was gradually abandoning my body and I was feeling tired of this marathon, despaired, tears threatening to burst and … no sign of the General. Where would he be? Why wasn't he helping me? Was he seeing this… enjoying this? Could he be so cruel?

_Did he abandon me for good_?

The cold wintery breeze hit my face, hurting my eyes. I felt my speed decreasing but refused to give in to the weakness of my body. I wouldn't give up, I would run while there was vital force within me.

Suddenly I felt his rough hand reaching my hair, longer than usual, catching me unprepared. My movement slowed down abruptly and I had time to reach his hand, trying to disengage it from me. I failed completely and all of the sudden I was only capable of seeing a tree, close to my line of sight, and hitting the trunk with all speed. My forehead met the chunk wood and I lost consciousness for a while. I saw black, shiny spots in front of my eyes and a sharp, intense pain in my head.

My body hit the ground, humid, filled with old leaves and dirt, staining my clothes, my face, my hair. However, I still had some strength in me. It must have been the adrenaline, the fear, the intense despair I felt invading me. I did turn, trying to see what was going on.

I saw him coming, that cruel, sick human being. He walked, silently, limping faintly, unhurriedly in my direction, removing something from his pocket. I fixed my gaze in his right hand. He maneuvered that item with the ease of someone who had practiced a lot. The sharp, characteristic sound of a butterfly danced in his hand, articulating with his fingers, until the whole knife was prepared… ready… to hit me.

I wanted to scream, I wanted to say something, but all I could see was the shine of that knife in his hand and the obvious intention in his eyes.

He reached my crawling form in less than two seconds, while I tried to move away from him, like a crab would do. But all I managed was getting myself more dirty and within his reach.

He knelt, pinning me with his own legs, and grabbed a fistful of my hair. His face reached my ear.

"I'm glad you let your hair grow, Sora."

Hopelessness took over me once more. My God, what would he do to me? Rape me, kill me, torture me. Pick one… or the three.

"Will he hear you scream while I ravage you, Sora? Will he be here to see me tear you into pieces?"

His words muted me. I didn't know what was worse… If he telling me what he intended to do to me, or his sick reference to having someone like the General enjoying the show.

"You are so deliciously afraid of me…" He whispered, liking my ear, his tongue rougher than I expected.

I almost threw out with repulse. I felt my heart in my throat, not knowing what to do, what to say, how to save myself from this.

It was obvious I was alone here. The General wouldn't be here for me, unlike that time in my apartment. I wondered briefly where on Earth he would be right now.

I was really doomed this time.

Suddenly he released my hair and my back met the soil again. He grabbed my clothing, my thick wool blouse and the thin shirt I had underneath it and he started cutting both items, using the knife, like he was tearing up an old piece of cloth. I felt the edge of the knife meet my skin, hurting me. I felt how he approached the knife to my throat, exerting an exaggerated strength against the tender flesh of my neck.

I also felt a warm liquid flowing in the slope of my chin, making its way to my neck. My clothes were completely destroyed and the cold that surrounded me now was meeting my body, while he removed from me what was left of those. Only my bra remained, but I bet it wasn't going to be there for much longer. My teeth chattered with cold, a sign that I was already freezing.

"Don't worry Sora. You won't feel cold for much longer. I'll warm you up…" He said, while he reached for my jeans and started unbuttoning.

"Please, don't do this…" I said, my voice failing, while I looked at myself, adorned with little dark spots that revealed the path of the knife he had used. Little wounds ornamented now my body, from my abdomen to my chin.

"Too late, my dear." I heard him say, his face suddenly closer to mine. I was able to smell his breath, to sense his desire to hurt me.

It was overwhelming.

And, apparently, he had lost his patience as well. Somehow fed up with the difficulty my jeans were posing him, he launched himself and his knife to my lower body. And, this time, he wasn't careful. He destroyed my jeans and took my boots off, leaving me in underwear and with one of my stockings on.

His hands, never leaving that dreadful knife, roamed along my body, eliciting nausea from me.

"God, stop, please stop…" I begged, tears beginning to form in my eyes.

Despaired, I didn't know if I would stand this. I tried to move, tried to escape from his grasp, but I regretted instantly.

His hand grabbed my hair again and he slapped me with his free hand. One, two, three times, until a stream of blood started to form in my mouth, my lips. I experienced, one more time, the metallic taste of my own blood and fury blended with pain while he was hitting me.

As soon as he stopped, I spat at him, staining his face and clothes with my own blood, knowing I was signing my death certificate. His hand found my face again, but this time it was a fist. Other parts of my body followed, while I screamed and cried in agony, aching all over. I sensed him ripping my panties, removing it from me and launching it far away from where we were. I felt how he shredded my bra, leaving me completely naked, bare at the mercy of a mad man who wanted to torture me devilishly.

His mouth met mine and I, in the middle of my disgust, bit his tongue. That made him angrier.

"Don't do that my dear, or I'll use the knife instead of myself…" He threatened, while he rearranged himself above me.

I covered my upper body with my arms, trying to protect me, but to no avail. He was already unbuttoning his pants and preparing himself for what would follow. I shivered, the tears flowed and my occasional sobs were the only sound that I was able to hear, while I lay there, freezing, not believing this man was going to rape me right here in the open.

My eyes were swollen, and I bet my face was too, as well as several parts of my body. His hands had not been kind to me.

"Since when are you so shy?" He said, smiling. "Let me see you decently."

I refused to do what he was saying. I didn't speak, but I shook my head instead.

Once again he smiled devilishly, and said:

"Very well, I'll cut your arms out then."

I felt a shiver running down my spine when I realized he was really going to do it, this was going to be it. The slaughtering would be starting now, and my suffering would begin. I closed my eyes and I only prayed I would go into shock before he would cut me into pieces. I prayed for my conscience to knock me out fast, so that I wouldn't have to endure the torture that would drain me to death.

I felt the edge of the knife in my shoulder and I closed my eyes tighter. I waited for the pain, I waited for the sharp feeling of metal intruding my flesh and bones, I waited for the torture to begin.

But something else happened instead.

Suddenly there was wind, so much wind that the leaves of the ground rushed all over me. And then, there was a _whoosh_ sound. Fast, sharp.

_Deadly_.

Nonetheless, I still waited… patiently, to feel the hit, to feel the blade dive into my flesh, muscle and bone, disengaging my arm, one by one. I hoped… it wouldn't hurt for long.

However, what I ended up feeling was totally different. It looked like it was raining, at least my skin sensed it that way. My eyes remained closed, occasional tears still shedding.

_Rain_. _Thick, warm rain, splattering me, all over me, while my tormentor remained strangely quiet above me_.

What was this? What was he doing?

All of the sudden, I felt nothing above me. Cold enveloped me again like a blanket and I felt life was swiftly escaping me. Applying an extreme effort, I opened slightly my eyes… and all I could see was red.

Bright, swooshing read, all over me, the ground, the trees, the wrinkled leaves.

And then, I saw _him_. A huge, strict form, dressed in black and holding a huge sword. From his back held a wing, a black, wide feathery wing, which made the tree branches bow to its power. He was staring very intensely, concentrated somewhere in front of him. His long, silky hair moved with an alien grace.

I was dreaming. Or I was seeing things.

_General, is that you_?

I didn't know if that was him or a wicked dream of mine materializing or something. Maybe I was already dead and this was my desired fantasy coming true, a fantasy where he had came for me, to save me, like a guardian angel, those that only exist in daydream worlds, in unrealistic stories told to small children before they go to sleep.

_Are you real_?, my mind asked, since my lips didn't have the strength to say the words.

Then I saw him approach me. He was also splattered with that red thick rain. His coat, his face, his magnificent grey hair. By then, there was no wing. At least I couldn't see any. It had been all a product of my imagination. _Hadn't it_?

A leathery hand touched my face. It _felt_ like _him_ alright.

"Sora…"

His voice… it was so real. It seemed he was really here, with me. _Was it really him_?

I couldn't answer, so I only searched his eyes. I wanted him to be real. I wanted him to be there for me…

My search was interrupted when I felt something covering me. Wrapping me and then something… taking a hold on me. Or someone. Or then… I was dying and this was part of the process of _ascending_. Yes, most likely it was that. I was already dead and this fantasy of mine would take me to the promised land.

Nevertheless the cold, the chilling breeze and the pain I felt were excessively real for someone who was supposed to be dying.

All I could sense was someone moving me, like a grown-up carries a child. My eyes closed and I abandoned myself to my own luck.

Moments passed by and I heard a door closing. That sudden noise woke me up from my inept, short-lived sleep. Also, I heard footsteps - footsteps that I had learnt to know as his, a recognizable breathing rate I felt too much close to my right ear. That hard, stiff form that still held me. Yeah, most definitely it was him, the General, still holding me. And it felt… so comfortable.

_Where am I_?

A couple doors opened and closed and I heard water running. I wondered if I was next to that river. I'd like that, it was peaceful and calming… but it was so warm all around me… it couldn't be this warm outside. It was winter and freezing out there. I was somewhere… indoors.

_But where_?

"Sora, open your eyes." Oh, it was him, the General. _Commanding as always_. And he smelled like blood. "Can you listen to me? Open your eyes…"

His voice wasn't hard. He was simply asking me to do something very simple. It wasn't an order, it was a request.

"Hm…" I moaned through my nose, while I tried to open my eyes. Everything hurt like hell: moving, breathing, moving my eyes, whimpering… there wasn't a simple gesture that wasn't painful.

But, eventually, my eyes opened and I was able to see what surrounded me. I was in his bathroom, still wrapped in something black that smelled like leather. I took my time concluding it was his coat.

"Stay with me, Sora." He said, while I tried to reach his stare, but I couldn't. He was too tall and I felt so cozy in his arms, in this position. "Listen…"

Oh my, his tone… his tone gave him away. Why did I have the feeling he was going to say something I wouldn't like?

"You need to shower. You have blood, dirt and soil in your body and … hair, I need to wash it out from you."

_Oh-uh_. Not good. All of the sudden I realized I was naked underneath that coat. Naked and with a nice amount of superficial cuts all over me. Oh my God. I was going to bathe. With _him_.

This was mortifying. And I didn't have the strength to say no. Frankly, I wasn't capable of showering myself alone, either. I practically couldn't move alone. I felt sore all over.

The water was still running and I remained with my face next to his chest. He was completely dressed but I could only tell about the simple shirt he had on, given the texture of it rubbing constantly my face. In a swift movement, he put me – and himself inside the bathtub. He closed the curtain and he positioned the shower in our direction. The warm water felt nice, caressing my head, my face. We remained like this for a couple of minutes, and then I heard his voice.

"I'm removing the coat, okay?"

Processing his words, all I could feel was embarrassment. In one swift movement, he unwrapped the coat from me and bare naked I remained, my forehead resting against his chest. His shirt was completely soaked by now.

"Did he… ravish you?" His hesitating speech held a low, painful, heartbreaking tone. It was surprising, how I could be able to grasp from him so many emotions, in such scarce speech. But yes, I could. And I didn't have the guts to look at him and say the words... so I shook my head instead and, silently, I gave him my answer.

"Let's remove that filth from you, then." He said, his voice decisive against my head. And, without strength and courage to say a word, I let him wash me. First the positioned me with my back to him and then he started rinsing my back, then my legs and finally my abdomen and chest, never turning, never staring. My head and hair were the last ones. The shampoo had a peachy aroma that felt very comforting. Quiet, mortified, hurting all over, I stood, with my head down, my stare in the tub, while his arms, hands and fingers moved, without malice, unintentional, cleansing me like a parent would do to its child. At least, that was how I felt it. That was how I felt his touch on me.

All of the sudden, his hands rested in my arms – no scrubbing, no washing, just… there, quiet, expectant. In that moment, I felt scared. Now, his hold wasn't innocent as before, and I shivered at the contact. And before I knew it, with a fast move, he turned me to face him, and I, reflexively, put my arms over my chest, trying to cover myself. It was somehow ridiculous, considering he had already seen all of me but… it was more like a protective reaction, an automatic action of my body.

My face met his chest – now bare chest, adorned with chaotic strands of gray hair. The water was still running, hitting us softly, the shower on the whole time.

If it wasn't for the dreadful circumstances and the petty state I was in, I would dare to say _this_ held the potential for one of the sexiest situations I've ever been with a man.

I didn't know how he disposed of his clothing – except for his boxer shorts – without me noticing it.

Before I knew it, he was holding me, one arm next to my waist, the other all over my back and lower neck, maintaining his body close to mine, preventing my back to meet the cold tiles behind me. My face remained on his chest and he rested his forehead in the tiles behind me, somewhere above my head.

Suddenly I felt an intense urge to cry. Now, that I remained here, awkwardly in silence with the man that had saved me from a certain death… and that had kissed me passionately the night before, all I could feel was my soul constricting to a point of no return. All I could remember was the way that man vandalized me. All I could remember was the hits I had suffered, the pain after that and the intense stench of an imminent death surrounding me. It all hurt too much. Inside and outside.

The tears fell down my face, mixing up with the water running. It felt somehow liberating, even if I hated to cry, under any circumstance. I never imagined he, the General, would figure out I was crying – but he did. I felt his hold on me compress a little and a sob escape my throat.

_You're so pitiful_, _Sora_…, I thought. But in return, I heard his deep voice:

"You're safe. Nobody will hurt you again."

I couldn't answer him. All I felt was hurt and pain.

"I-Is he dead?" I whispered, putting an extra effort into my first speech of this night.

He moved from his previous position and his hand angled smoothly my face to meet his own. This action of him mimicked the one of the night before, when he wanted to kiss me. Our faces were mere inches apart, I could feel the warm of his skin flowing from him… to me. But this time, he basically searched my eyes and all I could see was the shiny green from his eyes melting into mine and his slow, a serious voice answering my question.

"Yes."

Our gaze remained locked for what it seemed like forever. I felt pretty comfortable like this, lost in him, in his hold and warm water all over us. His eyes held affection, caring in a magnitude I've never seen before. It was something so new and overwhelming about him that I wasn't capable of saying a word. I felt so at peace, within his hold, safe in his arms. The thought of my ex-boyfriend _dead_ was something… natural. Like it was meant to be, one day, this man, this creation of someone greedy and inhuman, was supposed to save me, to get rid of that devil that haunted me for so long, since I was able to remember. All my life had been pain, running and terror… but not anymore. His eyes held certainty. His eyes held security. His eyes held… tenderness, words he felt shouting inside his mind but didn't dare to verbalize. And all this diluted in the mists of that alien green ornamenting his stare.

I wanted to say so many things. I wanted to thank him, I wanted to tell him I loved him, I wanted to tell him he had become everything to me, in spite of all his paranoid attitudes and unfair words. I wanted to… remember his touch, his taste. I wanted to be bold and lean up to him, kiss him, even if it was only a chaste, innocent kiss.

Deep down inside, I wanted him to love me with all the fervor I had felt the night before.

Out of nothing, his thumb reached for my lower lip and I whimpered with pain, ruining completely the moment.

"You have a cut in your lip."

Yes, I did have.

_In there and several other places_…, my mind rambled.

"Let's take care of that." He said, and the mood turned serious all of the sudden.

Before I knew it, the water had stopped running and I was already wrapped in a towel, as well as he. He removed me from the tub as smoothly as before and he laid me down on his bed.

"I'll get your clothes." He said, heading to my bedroom. In less than two seconds he returned, with a complete set of lingerie – bra and panties. No pajamas.

He kneeled next to me and he helped me to sit. With experienced moves, he dressed me without showing any part of my body that would certainly made be blush with shame. Deep down in my mind, I wondered where could he possibility have learnt to do that. After that, he went for a hair drier and he dried my hair, silently, not a word, not a sound. Only the warm air puffing my hair seemed to be the active voice crushing the silence in the bedroom. Then, he took his time searching for things in a drawer he had in his closet. Some seconds later, he came near me with a concrete amount of first-aid gear.

Patiently, he disinfected, patched all my wounds and, in some areas, applied proximity stitches. Namely, at my lower lip.

"Lay down and have some rest. I'll be right back."

He said, standing still and avoiding my stare, reaching for the closest clothes within his reach. Laid down I remained, nicely patched up and only with my underwear on. Curiosity spoke higher.

"Where are you going?" I said, my voice failing.

"Don't worry about that." He said, while he drew the thick blankets to cover my body completely. "I'll be back soon."

His tone held the seriousness of something grave. I didn't know what it was he had to do with such hurry, but I had a hunch it involved the person he had slaughtered.

He dressed quickly and he left, leaving me laid down on his own bed, warm in between the dark sheets.

Darkness took me few minutes later.

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**A/N - Talk about some sexy showering... But, truthfully, I wanted to make it diferent from the usual _cliché_. Did I make it? Sexy, yes, but not... typical. The circumstances didn't allow it :P**

**Honestly, I hope you've liked this chap.**

**Review, people. Speak your heart (and guts) to me:D You're all amazing.**


	28. Chapter 25

_**A/N**_** - Hey guys! Miss me? LOL sorry for so much time updating but I'm back in the "study-mode" 'till September and the subjects do consume lots of time... But I find time here and there to write. Otherwise, I would go mad. **

**So, my usual thanks to all of you that reviewed avidly for the last week (or so) and to those who had added me&the story to the favs. What would I do without you? Your words are very inspirational and make my ego grow like... you know. :D**

**Anyway, here's the chapter. It's the calm after the storm - literally. Hope you like it. It's all about what's inside our beloved Sephiroth's mind.**

**Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: As always.**

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_**Chapter 25. **_

**Sephiroth's POV**

I returned to that place – the place where all the action had ensued – and I calmly took care of the dead body. His head was not far from the body and I needed it to proceed with my little task. It wasn't much, I had got ridden of several corpses before.

_Military duties_.

I cut his body in pieces, like a butcher would do. Fast, automatic, careless. For me, I wasn't dealing with a former human being – I was dealing with evil itself. Cut after cut, I remembered vividly what he had done, each action, each touch, each hit towards her, a fragile form incapable of defending herself.

I was only able to see _her_, despaired, cold, suffering the madness of a man who didn't deserve the gift of life. There were blood spatters everywhere, the sick sound of pliable meat under the touch of steel… my sword, bathed in the blood and the remains of this… former man.

_How dare you, hurting her like this?_

A man that had dared to hurt blatantly a defenseless woman didn't deserve any respect… neither dead or alive. And _she_ wasn't an average, random woman. She was… she meant something to me. She…

I sighed loudly, not knowing what to think, the words I should use to complete my line of thought. What was her, for me, after all?

I didn't have an answer. I didn't know what she _was_, to me – honestly. All I did know was the rush I felt when I heard her call my name one, two, three, four, five times, in between breaths, while she ran towards nothing.

Standing there, with all the remains of a former human being shredded to pieces, it was now time to make it only a memory. I would make his presence vanish from the surface of this Earth. I didn't need fuel - the dry leaves and the parched wood would suffice.

In a decisive move, I brought a match to life and directed it to the pile of flesh, soil and leaves in front of me. The fire started quickly, almost rushing its way into the dead body, as if the flames had a life of its own, knowing it had to be burned until there was nothing but ashes.

_Gray, insignificant ashes_.

Calmly, unhurriedly, I watched that body burn. All around me was silent – all I could perceive was the sound the flames made, consuming what was left of a wicked human being, under the darkness the night provided me.

While I watched the flames consume _it_, I let my mind wonder, remembering the events of late.

_SEPHIROTH!_

_My head turned reflexively towards that precise direction. She was calling me, her voice cracking, tired, despaired, imbibed in fear. _

_At first I felt a little confused, I didn't know what could possibly be happening for her to call me like that, in such… need. _

_Never such thing had happened since we were here, in this place. Ever. _

_I left the cabin and, narrowing my eyes, I searched for her. Quickly I found her, running chaotically towards no tangible place. She was just running. Simply… no, wait. _

_Not simply running… she was running away from something…or someone. _

_There was someone behind her. A male form. Slightly limp. But still, chasing her like a savage dog. Hungry, furious, ravenous. _

_His disgusting scent hit me suddenly. I knew who he was. And I had a pretty good idea of what he wanted to do with her. To her. _

_He had a very primitive mind. And I was used to deal with equal primeval actions, when I had to. _

_Suddenly his hand found her flowing hair, making that ridiculous chase to stop. Both of them slowed down and, without hesitating, he threw her against a tree. Just like that, like a piece of scrap metal, like… _

_I felt a rush inside me the moment I realized she was half-unconscient on the ground. My breathing rate peaked and, for moments, I had a strange feeling… it seemed to me I was somehow sensing the same pain she was experiencing. She had hit hard with her forehead in that tree. _

_My wing came out without me even noticing and, before I knew it, I was already flying towards them, towards that man that, second after second, hovered above her, proffering dirty words and even dirtier actions. His trendy knife scared her, and he took advantage of it shamelessly. Cutting her clothes, hurting her without caring, beating her until she gave in to him. Her exposed body, decorated now with small cuts and superficial wounds, almost seemed to glow in the dark. The fear within her was now consuming her and she couldn't do anything else but to react spiting at him and biting him. He wasn't condescending. _

_Raw force and disproportionate hits marked her skin, hurting her... in a way it fed my rage. It fed my desire of tearing him apart, of making him disappear from the face of this Earth, because he, this man, was no one to claim such woman… from me. _

_Tearing her clothes, aloof to her claims and tears, I sensed him prepared… to do the unthinkable. _

"_Oh no, you won't…", I whispered, while my wing started to flap furiously, creating a whirlwind all around me, surrounding them. They now stood exactly beneath me, unaware of my presence. _

_She had her eyes closed and her mind roamed; he was prepared to stick that filthy knife somewhere in her shoulder… and, as I descended, mangled with the leaves, wind and trees bending all around me, I reached solid ground._

_He was aware of me and he suddenly stopped, turning slowly to face what was happening. His face, his disgusting, unworthy expression met mine and all I could do was smile. Smiling, my gaze shattering him inside, destructing what was left of his confidence, his strength and his desire of hurting someone weak. _

_His eyes bugged at the sight of me, unsheathing my sword. And, without warning, without trembling hands, without leaving his eyes, I moved my arm. In less than a second, his head rolled next to my feet, and I … kept staring in his eyes. I would be the last thing he would see. I would be the memory he would take with him to the grave. I, his cold-blooded executioner. _

_A rain of blood sprayed me. My wing was still furiously beating, waiting for my rage to dissipate. _

_When I was able to focus on something else but the be-headed corpse around me, I heard her. Her uneven breathing, so close to me, still trapped under his dump body. Her watery eyes remained closed and she was also painted in blood. _

_Mainly not hers, thankfully. _

_I could tell her mind was foggy. She was at the verge of hypothermia, hurt, naked and… clearly not realizing what was happening. _

_I approached her and removed his body from her. The sight of her so fragile, so beaten up, so… weak, made my heart constrict in pain. Not regular pain, though. This pain was different. This pain… was her own pain transferred to me. I let out a heavy sigh, contemplating what to do next. _

_I removed my coat and wrapped her. I had to take her home, take care of her, undo what this evil man had done to her. If I could, eventually undo all the marks of him in her. I didn't know if I could do that. I didn't know to what extent he had hurt her. _

_I flew, with her in my arms, towards the house. I would deal with the body later. Now, she was my main priority. _

_I could tell she had been out several times. Maybe it had been the cold, the fear, the shock… but I was here now and I couldn't afford her to lose consciousness again. _

_Reaching the bathroom, I tried to call her to the real world. She took her time to respond, and when she finally did, only a muffled sound came out of her throat. _

_I had to clean her up from all the filth she had on her. The leaves and humid dirt weren't the main thing she had on that I wanted to clean up – his scent, his marks, were my main priority. I had to remove it out of her, and fast. I couldn't stand his stench on her, like this. _

_Slowly, I informed her if what I had to do. Apprehensive and embarrassed, she didn't say a word, but I could feel her discomfort. After all, she was naked underneath my coat and… I was who I was. _

_Without her even noticing, I removed my boots, my pants and remained only with my boxer shorts and t-shirt. Inside the tub, she lingered next to me all the time, the feeling of warm water soothing us both. It was kind of nice of feel her next to me, like this… although the circumstances were dreadful to even think of classify this situation as "nice". _

_I felt her relax a bit next to me. Maybe it was time to tell her that I needed to take the coat out of her. _

_Her breathing peaked up a little, revealing her uneasiness. I understood her, really, but this situation didn't allow any embarrassment or dishonor to prevail… she seemed terribly wounded, for what I had assessed back in the woods. _

_With her eyes far away from mine, I exposed her completely to the warm water that kept running. I decided to make it fast, so that she didn't feel that mortified. Without hesitating, I washed her softly, accurately, so that all her wounds could be cleaned. Even superficially, she had a concrete amount of wounds in her body. And, although I had cleaned and patched plenty of my soldiers in post-war scenarios, I had never cleaned a – naked - woman before. I behaved professionally because that was only the way I knew how to behave, how to deal with things. My soldiers had been my responsibility, hurt and wounded in the line of duty under my command – if they returned injured and needed assistance in the infirmary wards, I was always there to help. At war, no extra help is too much. _

_I never had women soldier under my command. For me, women belonged to a total universe apart. And now, I had to assist this young woman, injured and ill-treated as if she had been in battle. With little details added: we were both in a tub, I, half-dressed and she bare naked with her back to me. It was inevitable for me to notice the details of her feminine body. Even with so many injuries, she was beautiful. Her slender form, her tiny waist. Everything about her was special and, yet, she was only a woman. A regular woman that had me strangely attached to her. _

_I took my shirt off, soaked in dirty water and blood. She remained without moving, not knowing what to do, her eyes fixed somewhere in the tub floor._

_Unconsciously, I reached her and touched her arms… tenderly. This was no regular, strict touch now – this was me, aching for her to turn to me and allow me to have her in my arms._

_Covering herself with her own arms, she allowed me to hold her. _

_I understood she felt uncomfortable with her nudity – we had kissed… well, I had kissed her a couple days ago, breaking the barriers between us and her response had, to a point, surprised me. Now, with her gently entwined in my arms, it seemed to be nothing else but us in that place. Her soft skin, her tender, not-so-fragile body, which seemed to endure the harshness of such wild treatment, long before I knew her. _

_I wanted her to feel safe, with me. I wanted her to feel relaxed against me, with and without clothes on. I wanted to see her smile, at least once, when I was around. _

_Her discreet sob and silent tears made me squeeze her a little bit more. Her emotional ache was overwhelming, and, once again, I could almost feel her pain like my own._

_And then she asked me "if he was dead". I had to look at her to answer that one. I searched for her eyes and hurting complexion. And, as I answered "yes", all I could feel was the desire building inside me, the wanting I felt for her, for the taste of her lips, that I had been missing terribly the last two days. But I wouldn't push it now. She was severely wounded and I had to focus on her getting better, on her healthy recovery. _

_My thumb found her lower lip and she reacted in pain. A small cut decorating such delightful lip. That made me un-focus from her mouth and from her, as a woman, to center my attention in her injuries and her feeble health. _

_Without even thinking twice, I removed her out of the tub and wrapped her in a towel. I carried her to the bed and got to work. First I went to her bedroom to got her clothes. Well, I didn't know exactly where she kept her things, but let's say, the underwear usually stayed in the drawers of the nightstand. And I wasn't wrong._

_Back into my bedroom, I got her dressed without removing the towel – a technique I had learned in military camp to help up changing and dealing with those injured soldiers who couldn't move from a bed temporarily…or permanently. Well, I still managed. _

_I dried her hair conveniently – I didn't want her to get a pneumonia or something, considering she had been out in the cold too much time already – and, when I was done, I went for the first-aid kit I had stored in my closet._

_Her wounds needed to be disinfected and maybe she would need some stitches. I didn't want her to have permanent marks of that evil man last appearance. If I could, I would erase them all of her. She would be free of him, permanently. No reminders whatsoever._

_Patiently and highly focused, I proceeded. When I was done, I covered her with the sheets and blanket and told her I would be right back. As expected, her anxiety of not having me around returned. I wondered if that would be a good or a bad sign. I wondered… if I let this going - my feelings astray -, what would happen? Would I be capable of… _

_No, probably not. I wasn't that human after all. I was just this shell, a flesh and bone cover, disguising the real me… a sick experiment of some sort._

_Again, I told her to rest, that I would be right back, soon. She didn't seem very convinced, but she complied. She remained laid down, still and quiet, her eyes hovering over me, while I was dressing again to leave. _

_Leave, to finish what I had started. _

The orange flaming light now faded and only a discreet cloud of smoke was forming above me. What was left of that man was now reduced to nothing. I scattered what was left of those remains, and prepared myself to return home.

Something told me I would find her asleep - she was completely exhausted and I was willing to bet that sleep had won her over.

And I wasn't wrong.

The house was silent. It was late – very late, indeed. As I reached the bedroom, I realized she was exactly in the same position I had left her. Her eyes closed drew attention to her eye-lashes. Her face was slightly tilted to her left, and her arms rested next to her body. Her breathing was even, giving away the profound sleep she was experiencing.

Finally, she was resting. Finally, after such a nightmare, she was finally at peace.

_With me, next to her_.

I removed my clothes and, after a long, comforting shower, I prepared to go to sleep, only with my boxer shorts on.

I checked her temperature and the aspect of her wounds. It was still early to evaluate the whole picture. Tomorrow, I was willing to bet it was going to be much worse – the pain and the swelling would be immense. She will probably panic and I will have to be there, next to her, to assure her that everything was going to be fine.

I laid in my bed, with her at my right side. She felt warm and soft.

_You shouldn't be thinking that_…, my mind chastised.

With a heavy sigh, I remained still, next to her, avoiding any physical contact, until the adrenaline and the rush of this night's events would fade a bit and allowed sleep to win over me.

Fighting the urge of touching her, I let myself dive in a deep, comforting sleep.

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**A/N - Talk about resisting temptation, ha? He's finally getting it. Or so I think...**

**So, review, people! Can't wait to read what you have to say about it:D**


	29. Chapter 26

**A/N - So there you have it, the new chapter. I hope it meets your expectations:D I'm kind of inspired now with such romanticism. **

**Just wanted to thank all of you guys that review, fav and so on. Your opinions are priceless and very important to keep me going and providing inspiration to my daily writing. **

**Also, the contest&Challenge on this fic is still on (details in my website, Link in my profile) and let me just tell you, what I have seen up to date is very gratifying. Check out the latest contribution of Yamilian, at her DArt account, for the First-Kiss Challenge, an amazing piece of work there! And if you want to participate, please do - the prizes are seducing! LOL**

**Anyway, enough ranting. Enjoy your readings!**

**This one starts with Sora, again.**

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_**Chapter 26. **_

_There was wind and cold, icy rain hurting my skin. The trees moved like they had a life of its own, the dead, fallen leaves swirling around me… yes, I was there, laid down, with no clothes on, embracing myself for protection. I could barely keep my eyes open, the wind was so strong that made tears fall along my face. Suddenly, there was a presence, everywhere and nowhere… surrounding me… trapping me… torturing me. That presence landed next to me, black hard boots next to my face. The wind settled for a soft breeze, and I didn't know if I should look up, to see who it was, so damn close to me. That presence seemed familiar, but at the same time… it exhaled terror. Horror. Slaughter. _

_My curiosity prevailed. Fearful, tired and with almost no strength left, I glanced at it. Slowly, I scrutinized the form that I had in front of me… the feet…the long legs, that muscled male silhouette... the glowing hair, fluid, hiding partially his features, indistinctly misshaped with the shadow that surrounded us. I couldn't speak, nor say his name. _

_His right hand held a long sword, a gigantic piece of steel, shining, threatening. I searched for his eyes, but I couldn't only discern the place where his facial features were. The darkness hid them. There was only that intimidating muted being. _

"_No words." _

_His voice was distorted, far away from the place we were. Who was this man, after all?_

"_Just actions." He added, as if he was completing a thought. His grasp on his sword became harder… I noticed a frenzy was starting to invade him, and he suddenly started to move his sword._

"_You cannot escape. Your soul is mine."_

_I gasped, scared._

_Soul?_

"_Welcome your new owner, Sora."_

_And, with that, he just moved his sword in my direction. I could feel the windy breeze of steel ready to hit my body. He was going to cut me in half. I didn't know if I was able to scream, but fear possessed me. I closed my eyes and I heard myself scream, a sharp, acute noise bathing the night. _

Then all around me was dark, warm, comfy and quiet.

I felt my breathing heavily, and I listened to my voice, an extension of myself before, but now it seemed more real. I still felt the tingle and the feel of steel in my abdomen – the result of that supposed deadly strike.

I was then that I realized everything hurt. I couldn't perform a single movement without excruciating pain accompanying it. My forehead burned, as well as my lower lip and several areas along my thorax and abdomen.

_What is wrong with me_?, I thought.

I tried, with difficulty, to open my eyes. I was in a place, a bedroom… but it wasn't my own.

_Where am I_?

I didn't have time to get to any conclusion, because I felt a hard hand - a male, huge hand in my forearm, grabbing me quietly.

It all broke loose in that moment. It was that _thing_, it was going to kill me this time. It was going to take my soul away.

Tears started to form in my eyes as I tried, fighting against the pain I felt in all my body, to free myself from that hand, from that grasp that seemed to be glued to my forearm.

"No!" I said, as I tried to get away from the place where I was laying. It was a bed – a huge, dark bed. It was somehow familiar, this place…

_What on Earth?..._

However my movements were ridiculously slow and awkward to flee successfully. That same very thought surprised me… I was laid down in someone's bed, hurt, barely capable of moving like a normal human being…

That determinate grasp didn't loosen, nor did _he_ let go of me. Instead, he moved swiftly. It seemed to me he was rising from someplace beneath the ground. The dark and the shadow that surrounded us made him seem even more unrealistic than… than before.

"No! Let me go!" I said, my voice weak. I tried to move my legs – ah, but the pain. It was agonizing.

"Calm down, you're in shock."

It was his voice. _His_?

I had a terrible time remembering what had really happened. I didn't know what was real or not, it seemed reality was mangling with… hollowness. Was he the one out there trying to kill me out there? Was it real, or…

"No, you want to hurt me…" I said, my voice breaking and the tears falling down, finally, chaotically spreading across my face. Fear added to the equation as I sensed him grab my other forearm, forcing me to keep quiet, laid down, next to him, while he remained partially above me, not touching me completely.

"You said you w-wanted my soul…" I sobbed, not knowing what else to say.

"Nonsense." He said, in response, calmly as ever, his upper body silhouetting close to mine.

My breathing was heavy and I felt contradictory emotions – it was like my mind was trying very hard to believe something, but other part of me refused to do so.

"You wanted to kill me." I breathed, as if I had no air left inside me. "I saw you… I felt it…"

One more sob and fresh tears came out, staining the pillow. I felt him approach me, his face next to my left ear. My face reflexively moved in the opposite direction.

"I would never do that, Sora." He whispered. His voice was so calm, so soothing, so… true. It was hard _not_ to believe his words.

"But I-"

"It was a dream. A bad dream. It's over now."

Was it? Had it been a dream? I was close to panting right now.

"A… dream?" I said, with difficulty to believe in what was real… or not.

"I'm here. No one's going to hurt you anymore."

His words, amazingly, had a comforting effect on me. I felt my uneven breathing starting to become regular, as tiredness flowed all over me and I felt my body relax a little. His grasp on my forearms loosened until he let me go completely.

I didn't dare to move. His face was resting close to mine, his mouth still next to my hear. Maybe he wanted to say something to me. Maybe he wanted…

"Rest, Sora. It's barely been three hours since you fell asleep." He declared. "You'll feel better in the morning. I'll be here…"

I didn't know why, but the perspective of knowing he would be here, with me, made me feel better.

_Safer_.

I gave in to the heaviness of my eyelids. I could only feel his touch, surrounding me. My face turned to meet his own, but I didn't found a cheek or a cheek-bone. I found, instead, his neck. A warm, soft skin in which my face rested. There was an arm grabbing me. No, not grabbing. _Holding_. As if I would break apart if that arm wasn't there.

His warm hand rested on my hip bone, his touch mangling with the tissue I had covering part of that area, as well.

My arms rested next to my body, because I didn't have the strength to hold on to him. But I would, if I had the animic force to do it.

I would touch his skin and anchor myself to him, as if he was my salvation.

I would…

I would.

Sharp pain awakened me from the profound sleep I was experiencing.

I didn't know what time it was, where I was, and completely unaware of what had happen.

_No, wait_.

I took my time thinking. The pain didn't let me rush the thinking process. _Wait, what had happened, after all_?

Gradually, the events came to my mind, clear as water. Slowly, it all began to make sense. And now I knew why every part of me hurt as hell.

My eyes opened and I realized my face was partially swelled. I tried to reach it with my hand, but someone stopped me from doing it. Apart from not being able to move my arm… at all.

"Don't touch it."

I would recognize his voice everywhere. Sephiroth. The General. Oh, I remembered now… he had come… after all. For me. God, he had saved me. _Again_.

I had a lot of questions to ask him. _Why did you take so long? What was that thick rain all around us? Do you have a wing? Am I insane?_ However, right now, there was no time or occasion to talk about that. The agonizing soreness I felt all over didn't let me… and I had more pertinent matters to think about.

"I can't move…" I declared, barely whispering. I was scared that I wasn't going to be able to move ever in life that I almost burst into tears in that very moment.

"It's temporary." He said, somewhere next to me, at my right side. Where was he? Sitting some place? "Nothing is broken, you're just sore. Give it time and you'll heal."

I gulped in response, trying to find his face. Where was he? Why was he hiding from me? I moved slowly my head towards that voice. As my eyes focused on him, I could see he was actually sitting – where, I didn't know, but I could see his bare chest and his arms, resting in his knees, with his hands grasped. His eyes were neutral and his fine hair was amazing as always. It was daytime already, I could see the sunlight discreetly peeking through the window, which was half-open. But it was early – maybe, just moments after dawn.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, visibly tense.

"It hurts, everywhere. I can't… " This was despairing.

"I'll help you until you can." He said, trying to ease my pain – both mental and physical pain.

I didn't know what to think and I didn't have any idea of what he meant with that. The only thing I knew was that I was close to become invalid and my face felt all distorted. I must look… a monster. Tears formed instantaneously. The sadness and the impotency I felt were overwhelming. With difficulty, I tried to move my hand towards my skin. It felt rough, and faster I realized I was patched all over.

I would have scars. Lots of them, all over my body.

"Oh my God…" I said, my voice breaking. Even the frail attempt to cry was painful. My face ached as the muscles twitched, and tears fell, staining the pillow and the sheets.

Then I realized he was moving – in my direction. Not that he was far from me before – he wasn't. But his hold prevented me from touching my own wounds, and faster than I could predict, his face and form lingered above me, a mask of worry decorating his fair complexion.

His thumb reached my eyes and he, softly, cleaned my tears away. His mouth opened slightly and I realized he wanted to tell me something.

"Sora, listen." He said, while he rested both of his arms next to me. Probably he was sit next to me as well. "You were severely wounded. You almost died out there. I had to… " When he paused, I realized he was thinking what I was now remembering – the "cleaning-up" shower. As if it wasn't enough, mortification spread all over me. "… clean you up and take care of your wounds. It's a miracle you don't have a fever by now, after what you been through last night."

After a breathing cycle, he continued, never leaving my eyes.

"You're going to be okay. Your bruises will look ugly in the next week, but that's just it. Bruises. It will pass. Nothing is broken."

_Only my heart_…, my mind added. Fresh tears appeared again and I felt my lower lip and chin tremble. God, I didn't want to cry. I didn't. But I guess my body had other ideas.

"Don't cry. You're safe." He said, while he caressed my hair, next to my left ear. His face was so beautiful, and I must seem a complete wreck.

Without warning, he lifted my upper body from the bed and he got me into a sitting position, facing almost instantaneously his chest. With difficulty, I tried to reach my own arms to touch him. I succeeded, after some failed attempts. His arms held me, preventing me from falling. His touch was soothing. And it was then I realized I had a minuscule amount of clothes on me. I wanted to ask him about it, but I didn't have the strength to do it. All I could do was stay, half-sit, whimpering at any movement, my forehead resting in his chest while his large hands grabbed me.

It was then I sensed something glued to my lower lip.

"What's… this?" I asked.

He didn't move us an inch.

"A stitch. You had a pretty bad cut in there."

"Will it-"

"No scars." He said, interrupting me before I could ask him what I wanted to. Oh, he really was good at this. Both healing and guessing my thoughts, I guess.

However I felt too tense to relax against him properly. In other occasions, I would, without thinking twice – but now I couldn't.

"How am I supposed to…" I wasn't able of finishing that sentence. I didn't know why… but maybe because I was getting to close to realize I wouldn't be capable of being self-sufficient, for a considerate amount of time. I wasn't used to be dependent on someone – in any way… and much less like _this_. Out of nothing, simple tasks I used to take as granted came into my mind, and I wondered how could I be able to carry them out alone.

"I'll help you." He said, his tone decisive. He really meant it.

_Oh. My. God._

That was all I could emotionally declare.

The next couple of days were terrible, affecting both my ego and my conscience.

He did help me all right. With everything. Even with things I couldn't imagine he would. After our little conversation by the bed, he decided I needed to go to the bathroom – basic needs and diary hygiene. I had to go through the mortification of having him helping me to sit me in the toilet, brushing my teeth (yes, he even assisted me on that) and cleaning once a day the wounds I had all over me.

Or course, there were some incidents.

The first one came right after he carried me to his bathroom and I had the chance of looking myself at the mirror. I cried like a five-year old next to him – because I couldn't stand on my own foot alone – and then, after guaranteeing me at least ten times that I wouldn't look like the patient of Dr. Frankenstein forever, he removed the mirror out of the bathroom until he decided otherwise.

The second one concerned the meals. Apparently, he did know how to cook – maybe too well. Substantial soups, liquids, fruit juices and water – lots of water were my main menu. And painkillers, of course. Most of the times I wasn't hungry, but he _forced_ me to eat the whole thing, under penalty of not healing properly. Every meal I did make the effort of slurping the whole thing, and he claimed that I had to learn to understand who was in charge.

"_I'm interested in you getting better, young lady_." He said, his voice half-disappointed, when I flinched at the sight of food.

However, the thing that disturbed me the most was the fact that he seemed not to sleep at all. Each time I woke up, each time I moved in bed, given the residual pain I felt, he seemed to be there all the time, looking at me, arranging the sheets and the blankets, asking me if I was okay or not; if I had had a bad dream or if I needed to go to the bathroom; if I was hungry or if I wanted him to carry me to my own bed, even if he was so strongly against it.

I did ask him why he insisted in having me on his bed. His answer couldn't be more neutral: "_If something happens, you're here next to me. It saves a lot of wandering to your room to check on you constantly. Do you realize how many times you whimper in your sleep?_"

I almost felt bad asking him about it. So, I was there just because it was "practical" – that was very military of him. And that was it. Funny thing was, I had a feeling it wasn't _only_ because of that. But I kept silent, nonetheless.

So, I remained in his bed the whole time, mostly dozing off and trying to catch some health improvement. But, as expected, not much had improved in only two days – at least judging by my external appearance, as I scrutinized my whole body, when he helped me getting sat. I was starting to notice dark marks all over my body, clearly the places where I had been punched.

I had so many questions to ask him, so many things I wanted to tell him. But it seemed not to exist the right moment to do so – ever. His eyes were always so distant, so focused on something I couldn't grasp.

One night, I dared to ask him about something.

"Did you listen to me when I called you the first time?"

I was laid down on his bed (as usual) and he stood next to his closet, with his hands in a drawer, looking for whatever-it-was. He immediately stopped after processing my words.

"Yes, I did." He said, never turning in my direction. Suddenly, he seemed very interested in the content of that drawer.

"Why took you so long?" I asked, finally.

He sighed in response. I couldn't see his face, but I could bet he had his eyes closed and was concentrating real hard.

"I wasn't exactly close, Sora." His voice sounded painful, as if he was remembering something very unpleasant.

"Where were you?" I insisted. I knew I was pushing it, but I wanted to know. I had to know.

"Does it matter?" He finally said, turning his face to me, gazing into my eyes. His half-naked body, only with his dark boxer shorts on, seemed almost ethereal. Not from this world. _Breathtaking_.

"I got there in time, haven't I?"

_What's in those eyes I cannot indentify_?

"Yes, but…"

He didn't let me finish the sentence.

"I went as fast as I could, believe me. But I wasn't close, Sora. I basically had to _fly_ to get there."

I knew it was a form of expression, but his reference to "flying" brought some memories back.

"I saw you with a wing, you know?" I said, looking elsewhere. "You looked like… a black angel coming out of the sky. It was huge. And dark."

I remembered too well that image. But I had also the notion I wasn't exactly sober in that exact moment.

When I found his stare again, I felt somehow scared. He had such a wary expression on his face, that I could swear he was thinking something terribly unpleasant at that moment. What, had it been something I said? About the wing or… or the angel thing?

"You were in shock, Sora. You would have seen everything by then."

Yes, he was totally right. But… his face. He wasn't being utterly true to me. This whole feathery conversation bothered him, and I didn't know why. But he had a point – as always. I was in shock and, most likely, delusional. Seeing him "wearing" a wing wouldn't be that out of place, after all. And, if I really thought about it, he looked pretty hot with that thing in his back – it gave me the sensation it was part of him altogether. Even… even if it was all my imagination.

"I guess so." I said, ending up agreeing with him.

Out of nothing, I saw him step in my direction fast and determined. When he was next to be, he removed the sheets and blankets and looked at me, for what it seemed forever – but it was only a second, because he did bend and put his hands beneath my back and my knees and… he got me off the bed, carrying me like a princess, as he always did for the last two days.

I gave him a puzzled look, without knowing what he was doing, where he was taking me. His stare didn't meet mine as he walked towards the bathroom.

I felt a shiver running all over me. And it wasn't from feeling cold – the whole place was warm, he had turned the heater on 24/7 since that night.

"W-What are you doing?" I asked, my voice weak as I tried to get a hold on him, my arms around his neck. I failed completely – it seemed like I was trying to touch him all over, purposely.

_God, what a shame_.

Okay, if I was feeling shame by now, his answer to my question didn't contribute to keep my pulse steady.

"It's shower time."

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**A/N - Yeah, I know it's cruel LOL But this got me wondering... what do YOU think it's going to happen? Will they shower? will something... happen if they do? What would you like to see happening in there? Showering... or not. That's the question.**

**Let me know. :D Review with all your heart, people!:D Can't wait to read your feedback!**


	30. Chapter 27

**A/N - Okay so you wanted a fast update, here it is. I didn't write more in this chapter because what follows is a complete separate matter of this... shower. So, I hope you like it. It's a very subtle shower, but it has what it takes to spin a woman's head around... I guess. ;)**

**I want to thank to all of you who review avidly without restrictions... my deepest thanks to you all and please, keep on giving me the satisfation of seing the Dreamcatcher realm grow in a daily basis.**

**Okay so there you have it. No cruel cliffy this time;)**

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_**Last chapter:**_

_"It's shower time."_

_**Chapter 27. **_

"No, please…" I said, half-despaired, in his arms, looking at him.

I didn't know what to expect… If he was going to say something, or if he simply would deposit me in the tub and remove my clothes without previous warning.

However, I sensed him stop right there in the middle of that huge bathroom. His face was serious, contemplating the tiles in front of him… but then I sensed his look on me. The green in his eyes was so intense that I could almost feel his gaze traveling inside me.

"Is there a problem?" He said, as if I was denying him something extremely basic.

Well the problem was… well, I felt gross and my aspect surely was terrible. Besides, I didn't want to go through the whole scrutinizing thing… naked, with him. Again.

It was embarrassing. Not to mention… unnecessary. Okay I had to make him see my point of view.

"Do I stink?" I asked, trying to understand why he wanted to get me in the tub with him once more. Was this genuine of him or… was there something behind that apparently naïve intention?

"No, you don't stink," He said, slowly. Oh he certainly was preparing a hell of a good justification. "However, you need to get cleaned. As you must imagine, your wounds are in the middle of the healing process. I don't want them infected by lack of zealous."

Oh, so that was it. Sterilization, disinfection of wounds. _Was it_? _Really_?

"I get it, but…"

Oh, man. Is there a nice way of saying this? I mean, a way of saying that I felt embarrassed as hell for being naked in front of him – and this time, completely aware of it? No, I guess not.

"But?" He said, putting me in solid ground without leaving my eyes. I still had it difficult to maintain my balance, so he had to hold me, somehow, so I didn't fall on my back or something. His hands were on my arms, and I was staring at my feet. My black and white underwear was completely wrinkled, and all I could see was purple spots.

"I…" I was trying, but there was no way words were coming out.

Suddenly, his right hand and arm went to my back, holding me and preventing me from falling. His other hand travelled to my face, his long fingers searching my chin.

_Oh-uh. This is not a good thing. Not. good_.

Without difficulty, he directed my face, my stare, to meet his. When that happened, I was – somehow – brought back in time, to my dark, shadowy room, where we had argued and… kissed. The memory of his lips on mine made my heart flutter and all I could think now was… he was so close, his face dangerously close to mine, his alien beauty overwhelming my senses, making me desire him even more. It felt like he knew the way he had to look at me to ignite these feelings from me.

However, the words that came out of his mouth ruined completely the moment.

"Are you afraid of being unclothed in front of me?"

_No, not afraid_. _Embarrassed_.

"You're not the first woman I get to see without clothes on, Sora."

Okay, that was a nasty thing to say. I removed my stare from his, as well as my chin from his hand. That comment made emerge strange feelings inside me. I felt angry, irritated and… and… whatever. I didn't like it. How could he be such an ass, telling me in my face he had been with other women already? Okay, it's not that I didn't imagine he had been with other women. But, come on, that wasn't necessary.

"Good for you." I said, excessively caustic. "But we are not…" I ran out of words faster than I imagined. How could I put this? We were not… _What, lovers? Two people engaged in a relationship?_ After long seconds, I managed to say something at last. "We aren't exactly involved to take showers together."

My stare on him was hard, and I knew, as well as his, the veracity behind my words. Although we had kissed - and I was beginning to conclude it had been a sporadic event than anything else -, he didn't want to explain himself to me, not justify his actions. Nonetheless, he caught exactly my line of thinking.

"This isn't the time to talk about what happened, Sora."

"You don't have to talk about anything." I said, looking at my feet, his chest almost touching my forehead. My voice was trembling with sadness, but I did manage to continue. "Go on with the cleaning, but my clothes stay on."

How angry I felt for not being able of taking care of myself. My throat was constricting and I was feeling miserable. He had been such an idiot.

He stood there for a second or two and then he held me again in his arms and put me in the tub. The warm water started running almost immediately and I sensed how the tears were about to form, uncontrolled.

_God, you're so stupid, Sora_. _Get a grip, Jesus!_

He got inside the tub as well and I sighed, trying to control myself, as he positioned himself in front of me and started scrubbing my skin. My arms, my chest, my belly… the tissue that covered my breasts and then, my panties. It was all soaking and smelling nicely. The tension, the silence between us was terrible. He didn't say a word and I managed not to look at him during the whole process, keeping my head down, staring at someplace else… but him.

On the other hand, my ears ached – the pressure accumulating inside was terrible to bear. I wanted to cry so bad that I almost felt my eyes exploding.

I thought he was going to turn me around, to wash my back, but he didn't. I guess he had other ideas. I sensed his right hand next to me again, touching my jaw…and chin. And, before I knew it, our faces were leveled again: mine, tilted up, to meet his stare. Right, as if we were going to have a nice shower chat, as if nothing bad had happened to me and as if he hadn't hurt my ego a couple minutes ago.

He didn't say a word though. That was mostly what innerved me the most – he didn't talk much, but he did observe a lot. He was scrutinizing me and probably realizing I was at the verge of tears, what made me angrier… mostly at me, who couldn't behave like a strong, willed woman, indifferent to this man's actions.

His hands and long fingers started massaging my scalp. The fresh peachy aroma invaded the air around us and it soothed the tension a little. I closed my eyes, and I tried not to think he was there, in front of me, washing my hair.

_No, I'm here, alone_.

The warm water rinsed the shampoo, although his hands still roamed in my head and hair. He was probably almost done and I could be out of this terrible moment soon.

_Why, why are you like this_?

As my tricky mind processed this thought, my fragile control vanished completely. I felt tears forming and, in that instant, exiting my closed eyes. I couldn't have prevented it even if I wanted. It was all too late.

But, thank God the water was still running, slight remains of foam and shampoo all over me. He wouldn't notice. I didn't want him to notice. He was too insensitive to realize how his words hurt me.

"Is there something wrong?"

_His voice_. Damn his abilities of reading me this easily. It all my fault, I was the one who had let him walk inside my personal space, to get to know me shamelessly to this point.

I shook my head, in response. My position remained the same since I had closed my eyes some moments before. I was still there, my face looking up (at him, eventually), my arms resting at both sides of my body. My eyes remained closed the whole time. I didn't want to see him. No way. Not right now, when I felt my heart constricting terribly.

"You're crying." He declared, as if he was stating something very obvious.

_Damn, damn, damn_. And now, what should I do? _Make up something, quick_.

Before I knew it, I was talking.

"It's the pain."

Wow, I lied pretty efficiently. _The pain_! Nice one. I almost didn't feel any pain, mostly given to the warm water, which was an amazing pain reliever. Besides, our little previous dialogue had un-focused me from any physical ache I was feeling.

Maybe he would buy it. How could he know, after all?

But he did.

He certainly did.

I didn't realize what was happening at first. He moved awkwardly and, since I had my eyes shut, I couldn't actually see what was going on.

The first thing I felt was his arms, surrounding me. Then, his chest met my form, his hip bone found the tender, hurt flesh of my abdomen and, then, finally, something softly wet found my face, causing me to open my eyes a little.

It was his neck… I could see the base of his chin as well.

_Damn, he's tall_.

Soaked gray strands of hair chaotically spread along his shoulders, invading my space and mangling with my drenched underwear as well. It felt like he was the one touching me there, instead of his hair.

My heart accelerated at the thought of him touching me. It was a perversity, I knew. Not to mention the unrealistic component of that very same thought. He would never touch me like _that_. He didn't crave me enough for that. He didn't like me enough to want me. I was simply confounding care with affection.

My breathing rate gave me away. I didn't want this. I didn't want him to play around with my feelings like that. It was cruel. I was vulnerable, and he… was taking advantage of the situation.

It was then I felt his hand. His long hand, his deadly fingers, in my head… stroking my hair.

One time.

Two times.

And at the third time, he grabbed a fistful of my hair.

In my ears, my heartbeat sounded like a drum in the silence that surrounded us, only the damp sound of water running accompanying it. I thought of the worse. I thought of… what could I possibly have said to make him mad, I thought…

_Please, don't hurt me._

I closed my eyes, hard. I didn't know what to think, I didn't know what to say. So I remained still, letting him do to me whatever he wanted.

I felt tears coming out, as I gulped with some difficulty, given the position I was in.

His breathing felt hot on my left ear.

"Don't lie to me."

His tone was angry. His words came out more like a whisper, reaching my hear and making me shiver. What should I say to him in return?... He didn't give me a chance to say anything at all.

"You misunderstand everything I say."

His tone remained the same. Caustic. And disappointed, somehow. Nonetheless, he continued.

"Will you understand actions, instead?" His tone now was genuinely curious. "No words. Just actions."

_No words. Just actions_.

I opened my eyes at that one. I did open my eyes, very well open. I felt shocked. How could he possibly have known? How could he possibly have used _exactly_ that same expression in that… nightmare of mine? No, this was too much, it couldn't be. I felt my breathing hard and the water drops in my face, causing me to blink faster than usual.

"You said that exactly …" I whispered, to his ears only. Besides that was exactly the one thing I had in range, next to my face – his left ear. And hair. Lots of hair. _His_.

"Did I?"

I nodded. He didn't move his mouth from his previous position. His even breathing contrasted with mine, completely erratic.

"When?" He asked.

All I could remember was that dark place in the forest and him, dark, solemn, irate, prepared to blow a deadly strike on me.

"You were going to kill me." I said, my voice trembling. The memories of that dreadful moment, even if it wasn't real, felt as vivid as ever.

"In your dreams… I am always going to hurt you." He said, and this time he moved. His face left my ear and he searched my face instead. I felt his lips in my cheekbone. "But that is so far from the truth…" He exerted a slight movement downwards.

"You…" I was going to start saying something, but my mind froze.

"I… want nothing more than…"

He didn't complete his sentence and I, lost in thinking, despaired, closed my eyes, an overwhelming urge to cry invading me. Before I knew it, the tears were falling and I trembled in his arms.

"… to kiss your tears away."

I didn't have much time to process those words, but if I had, surely I would have cried more. However he did part of what he said. He kissed, all right – but not the tears. At least, not literally.

Before I knew it, his lips found mine. I felt myself melting within his arms, besieged by the sensations his contact provoked in me. The warm water running all over us gave the moment a very sexy nature, as his wet lips moved softly against my own.

I couldn't resist him, even if I wanted real hard. I let myself stay there, consuming the taste of his lips on mine, waiting for the kiss to become something more… something that would – really – take my breath away.

But that moment never came. He didn't deepen the kiss – I had no idea why. All I could feel was the residual feeling of his lips on mine as, gradually, he broke the contact and… once more, I didn't know how and why we had come to this, nor why he had kissed me. _Again_.

All I knew was that I liked the feeling… maybe too much. Ugh, I was a lost case.

When he stepped away from me I wished I could vanish with mortification. I didn't know what to do, what to say, if I should look at him… or not.

Well, he didn't give me time to do anything because he turned me around and finished cleaning me as if nothing had happen.

I had to give him credit – he was very cold-blooded. Here I was, embarrassed to my core because _HE_ had kissed me and yet he behaved like nothing had happened. I shook my head, dismayed, while he scrubbed my back and my legs… and my butt, panties on the whole time.

_This is unreal_…, I thought, lost.

Suddenly the water stopped running. I saw him pull off the curtain, exit the tub and then, carrying me to the middle of the bathroom – once again, that place where we had started our previous, weird conversation.

I wondered, though… where were the towels? I was getting cold. He deposited me in the ground and, dripping wet (as I), he placed himself behind me.

I felt a shiver, for several reasons… the cold I was starting to feel and his presence, as drenched as I was, somewhere… around.

_God, what are you doing_?

The answer to my mental question came faster than I imagined. His long fingers grabbed the straps of my bra and he removed it – with such ease that... Well, I wouldn't have done it better myself. Bugging my eyes, I only had time to hear the damp sound the fabric made when it reached the ground. I didn't dare to move an inch. Not even… blink.

My panties followed. The sensation of his fingers entwined with the fabric, occasionally touching the sensitive skin of my hips… legs… and ankles, was… worthy of a silent intake of air. I couldn't believe he was doing this. What, did he enjoy provoking me?

I was starting to believe he actually did… a lot.

I stood there, naked, for what it seemed like… an eternity. But, thankfully, I felt the warm touch of a cotton towel wrap me and then, all the worries seemed to dissipate… a little.

The usual procedure followed, without saying a word or exchanging a glance. He carried me like a baby into his bed, dressed me with a new set of lingerie, dried my hair, checked my wounds and arranged the sheets.

"Are you comfortable?" He said, while his hands rested on both sides of my pillow.

I nodded in response, and avoided his eyes. Thankfully, he didn't insist on asking me anything else. Only his voice was heard, when he left me and went towards his own bathroom, again.

"Rest."

What choice did I have but to do what he had told me?

That's right.

_None_.

* * *

**A/N - Okay, so... it was smooth. LOL. I know, not exactly what some of you were expecting but... be patient, dear readers. It will be worth the wait... This chapter is calmer than the others but worry not, the action will be starting... very very soon.**

**So, please, review and say whatever it's going through your mind:D Can't wait to read your opinions:D**


	31. Chapter 28

**A/N – Okay, there you have it. Another one. This chapter is more like a gathering of isolated events, some more interesting than others but… enjoyable, nonetheless. I guess.**

**Thanks for all your support guys, you've been wonderful, as always and… I can only hope this chapter can meet your expectations… I've realized you're too eager to have the thing going on. But calm down. No need to rush what's inevitable LOL**

**So, hope you enjoy it.**

_Disclaimer – As always. (But Sora's mine. LOL)_

* * *

_**Chapter 28. **_

I didn't notice him going to bed that night... and neither the following.

I slept like the dead, completely unaware of him, drowned in that terrible comfort around me. It looked like he had anesthetized me or something.

As days and nights passed, endless hours, I was starting to feel more capable - capable of moving, of changing position in bed, of removing my own hair from my face, brushing my teeth and even performing my personal hygiene.

Each day, he basically carried me everywhere, and I felt more able of doing my own thing.

Definitely, I was starting to get better.

And _The General_ seemed to return to his typical _I-am-angry-with-mankind_ attitude. He wasn't rude with me, but he wasn't nice. He wasn't a brute, but he wasn't excessively caring either. As days passed, he seemed more and more… neutral. Automatic.

I wish I knew what went through that head of him. I didn't understand his actions of late… and that damn kiss in the shower the other day. What on Earth was he thinking? Why, why had he kissed me again?

Each time that I remembered that moment, I felt a pang in my chest. And, honestly, I didn't see any chance of – eventually – asking him his reasons.

* * *

"You don't have to stay here all day." I said, looking at my face in the mirror of his bathroom. He had put the mirror back on, probably considering my aspect was now closer to normality.

"You don't want me around?"

His words were cold as ice, as his form stood by the bathroom door frame, arms crossed. He looked very displeased with what I had said.

"You say I misunderstand everything you say, but let me tell you do a pretty good job yourself."

Okay, I was annoyed. There was no need to be such an ass. My stare was on his, and I realized he was evaluating me, my attitude, my words. Neutrality all over him. It was unnerving.

"Explain yourself."

He sounded like a freaking robot.

"Okay, listen. I know you have things to do outside, your own things. And I know you've been indoors for almost a week now-"

"Five days." He corrected me.

"Fine, for five days and I'm thinking you must have more important things to do than stay here with me." I declared, not knowing if my explanations would be enough or not. "I'm feeling much better now… thanks mostly to you and… I appreciate a lot what you did, really… but I don't want to be a burden."

Did I cover everything? Explaining myself, exposing my feelings, my gratitude and the fact that my conscience was killing me?

"You're not a burden."

"You don't have to say that to make me feel better."

"As if I ever did that…" He mocked, smiling deviously. " You should know me better by now."

Silence was all over us once more. I didn't know what to say for a change.

"I am in control with my tasks outside." He said. "Besides, how can you tell I don't leave when you're sleeping?"

I felt my cheeks burning.

_Yeah, you're really amazing and know-it-all_,_ mister_.

"Fine, then." I said, my eyes in my hands. "I won't mention it anymore."

I avoided his gaze during the whole time I was in the bathroom, standing next to the sink. Before I could say a word or even try to step, he was grabbing me and carrying me to the bed, not allowing me to make "_unnecessary efforts_", as he usually said.

"You could let me just try-"

"It's too soon." He declared. "Don't rush it."

It was not a question of rushing. It was a question of me feeling better and trying to get some independence already. I couldn't just walk around in his arms the whole time… Not that I minded. But it wasn't good to my conscience, which kept reminding me of less proper moments.

He deposited me on his bed. His constant indifference was starting to affect me… again. After I had felt his affection, this apparent lack of consistence was terrible to me and my hurt ego. But there was nothing I could do… besides keeping my worries to myself. And obey him.

"Rest." He told me for the thousandth time. I closed my eyes and abandoned myself to the tiredness I felt.

* * *

My eyes opened automatically to face the semi-dark that invaded the room.

The silence was overwhelming and I realized all I could see was the ceiling. I was laying with my belly up.

It took me a few seconds to realize I wasn't alone. I looked discreetly to my left, to find… him.

He was sleeping with his belly up as well, his hands in his abdomen, half-covered with the sheets. The same sheets that covered me completely.

I took my time looking at him. I almost had forgotten how he looked like asleep… it had been so much time since that day I had found him in that place, in the reactor.

He was simply breathtaking. His eyes, closed, his long eyelashes, his perfect-shaped mouth, his face… it seemed to have been carved by angels. His long hair, chaotically disposed along his pillow… made him look ethereal… untouchable. A being worthy of this world and the other.

_A God_.

I breathed heavily for a second or two. His breathing remained steady. He was deep asleep. _Thank God, he's resting_…, I thought. He took this new responsibility on me with excessive discipline. I didn't know if that was because he was ex-military or… just because it was its wicked way of dealing with things.

I didn't know. Lately he didn't talk to me… about anything.

But I missed his caring and loving side. The words he had said the day I almost died out there… had no precedent.

I _was_ in love with him. And I couldn't change it even if I wanted.

I closed my eyes for a moment. How, how was I going to manage this? How was I going to control these feelings, this desire, when I had him next to me like this, every night?

_So close… but yet, so far_.

I looked at him once more. He was exactly in the same position. So beautiful. So… inaccessible.

_I have to get out of here_… yep, I need out. Out the bed, out of being next to him and realizing he would never be mine…

Slowly, I sat. I could do it, if I managed to move gradually. And, most certainly, I would be able to walk. Even if I had to do it supporting myself on the wall… I would do it. I had to try.

I had to prove to myself I could do this and… that I was going to do this.

So I did it.

My steps were awkward, and my legs did hurt… a lot. First, I removed myself from the bed and, step by step, I made it to the door, smiling to myself. I was doing it. I could walk, again. I was going to be able of being myself, again.

The thought almost brought tears of joy to my eyes, but I was so happy that I continued with my little odyssey. My goal was getting to the kitchen.

So, after small pauses in the large hall, next to the wall, I did realize it was actually cold outside his bedroom. Most likely, he had the heater on only in that particular area, for me to feel comfortable.

With bare, shaky feet and wearing only with a butterfly-patterned lacey black underwear set, I managed to get to the kitchen. I popped the lights out and went to the refrigerator. I needed to drink something.

_Anything_. _Even if it's just water_.

I went for the glass, so that I could pour the water. It was painful to get to the place where the glasses were, but I was able to get there. One more victory on me.

"What do you think you're doing?"

I gasped, at the sound of his voice. I coughed a bit of water, almost letting the glass fall on the ground.

"God, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

My stare was on his and I still felt the surprise of his appearance reflected in my heartbeat rhythm.

However, instead of answering with words, he just stepped in my direction, and I recognized at once the angry pace and the annoyed look on his face, wrath glowing in his eyes. He stopped mere inches from me.

"What were you thinking? What did I tell you? If you needed something, you should have told me."

Why so pissed? I couldn't get it.

"You were asleep, I didn't want to wake you."

"Didn't you?" He said, narrowing his eyes. I had to look up to face him, to meet his stare. I could feel the heat radiating from him, in the cold that surrounded us.

"No, I didn't. You have done enough. I just came for a glass of water." I justified myself, staring him seriously. His breathing was not calm. I wondered what was his problem after all.

"You must not walk around the house alone. You are not totally recovered and…" He sighed, before continuing. "…you could have injured yourself badly."

"Okay, I get it, but-"

"Why did you sneak that way out of bed?"

Oh, for Christ's sake. I couldn't believe this. He thought I was trying to run away or something? That was ridiculous! What, I was going to leave in my underwear in the blistering cold of winter?

"I didn't _sneak_, Sephiroth. Please, understand that I only wanted-"

"Do you have any idea of how worried I got when I woke up and didn't find you there?" He said, interrupting me and almost closing contact between us. All I could see now was his eyes, his face, so close to mine, his nose almost touching mine. What, was this disproportionate attitude only because of my absence next to him?

_Sephiroth… What am I to you, anyway_?

"I'm sorry…" I breathed, not knowing what else to say. I felt at a total loss of words.

His breathing hit my face and I was trembling, by now.

All I could manage to do was to lower my head and face his chest. My forehead touched his skin. And I… was so confused. What was this all about? Why was he so irritated with my innocent little _voyage_?

I felt his arms around me, slowly, calmly, enveloping me without rush. It was then I heard his voice, calm and gentle, next to my ear.

"Don't do that again…" he said, and after a little pause, I heard, from him, the impossible. "… Please."

I took my time processing his words and thinking about what I would do or if, eventually, I should do something. He had said "Please." It sounded amazingly unreal. He was really serious about all this, then. I had earned a "Please"… wow. Okay, it had to… say something.

"Sephiroth, please, listen to me, I…" I searched for his eyes and touched his face with my wobbly hand. I wanted to explain myself to him, try to tell him I didn't want to go away. I wanted to tell him to ease down his worries… because I wasn't going anywhere. However, my touch in the warm skin of his face didn't have the effect I expected. He suddenly cringed, and my palm and fingers touched air instead. I felt shocked and unable to say a word.

_What?_...

After that he didn't let me do or think about anything else, because he grabbed me in his arms and carried me to his bedroom, as if nothing had happened, as if I hadn't said anything at all.

When we get to the bed, I was annoyed enough. I couldn't simply believe he was going to cut my word just like that.

No. I wouldn't allow it. Not anymore.

"Listen to me." I said, grabbing his forearm with my hand, while he sat me on the bed. His eyes met immediately mine, half-expectant, half-surprised with my daring attitude. It was the first time I was doing this. "I just went for water and didn't want to disturb you. You were sleeping like a baby. You have done enough for me, there is no need to-"

"I say when it's enough." He interrupted me. "And you don't need to care if I sleep or not."

That comment hit me terribly.

"So, you can care about me, but I'm not allowed to care about you?"

My question seemed to shake him a little. But he did return to his attack, nonetheless.

"Why are you being so difficult?"

"I could ask you the same thing." I answered back, without thinking.

"I can take care of myself." He said, with a low tone, fixing his gaze on me. "I… appreciate your consideration, but you're the one injured here, not me."

And with that one he had gotten me. I had no answer… at least, no adequate words to strike back with.

I left his eyes and his forearm as well. I didn't want to, because I liked the way his skin felt against mine… but I had no choice.

I let him position me in the bed, cuddle the sheets and blankets all around me and finally he laid down next to me.

The silence was overpowering. And neither of us wanted to sleep, but no one broke the stillness that surrounded us.

It was dawn already.

* * *

I woke up to the nice smell of food.

When I looked around, I was alone in the bedroom, but there was movement in the other side of the house.

Not five minutes from there, he appeared at the bedroom door, all dressed. Casually, all in black, handsome as always, bare feet. Well, that surprised me. I hadn't seen him fully dressed for a while. I was already getting used to seeing him half-naked, only with his boxer shorts on.

"Finally." He said. "I was starting to think you were going to sleep the whole day."

"Oh… I…"

"Let's go." He said, approaching me.

_Let's go where?_, I thought. But I didn't say anything. He grabbed me once more and carried me – princess-style, as always – to the kitchen. To my surprise, the whole house was warm and, at the kitchen, the table was set… with two plates, two places. A meal for two persons.

_This can't be_.

He sat me in the kitchen chair and he sat exactly in front of me. His eyes met mine, an intense gaze glowing between us. It felt as powerful as… debilitating. I decided to say something.

"Thank you for… bringing me to eat in the kitchen."

It was inevitable not to smile a little. I wanted him to smile back at me, but I had no such luck.

"You're getting better. Soon you'll be completely healed."

I nodded, while I searched for the fork and knife.

"I'll bring something for you to dress while you're here." He said, getting up and disappearing behind me.

That was true. I was only with my sexy set of lingerie on. I guess the sight of me like that was bothering him. What, what this good news or what? Did my half-nudity affect him or… I'd like to think that. At least it made me feel a little more desired.

His sudden appearance made me forget all about it. He had brought me a t-shirt that I put on in that instant. He sat in front of me again and he looked at me.

Expectantly, I looked back. This was weird. He was looking at me with different eyes… and I didn't quite get why, exactly…

_What are you thinking_?

"Water?" he suddenly asked, with one of his eyebrows up.

I had to laugh at that one.

"Very funny…" I said, smiling genuinely. "Yes, please." I added, and, to my surprise, he was smiling as well. I felt astounded with it. His face was even more beautiful when he smiled, when he _really_ smiled, not that cruel, sardonic smile I had seen so many times decorating his face. And I never thought it could be possible for him to be even more handsome than before… only with such simple thing… an innocent twist of lips.

And then we simply ate. Discreet glances in between each gulp of water or simply pauses whilst eating took place. We didn't talk much, we were simply enjoying the moment. An epic moment, to me, at least.

It felt to me he was rewarding me for something… but I didn't know what it was. I hadn't done anything (that I knew of)… I only had disobeyed him last night.

Well, if that was it… I guess I had to disobey to him more often.

* * *

I needed to shower but I didn't dare to say _that_ to him.

I was laid down, and he wasn't exactly around. He was in the house, but minding his business in that dojo of his… or so I thought. I wasn't exactly sure.

However I was sure – very sure indeed – that I was capable of showering myself. My ability of moving had improved lately. I was almost completely cured.

I looked around, letting go a heavy sigh. God I didn't want him to shower with me. I mean, I liked having him around, close to me but… come on, the showering process was starting to become a stressful event rather than a relaxing one.

Okay, I had to do this fast if I wanted to shower by myself… without him trying to remove my clothes and clean me like a baby. Gosh it was embarrassing!

Slowly I eased myself off the bed. I walked until I reached the bedroom door and tried to focus, to listen to him. Yeah, he was busy all right. In the silence that surrounded me, all I could hear was the sound of metal, fast and furious, hitting something and swooshing around. He was distracted with training – or so I thought.

Slowly, I walked to his bathroom.

_Okay I'm gonna do this, fast and clean_.

I was really determined in doing this. I wasn't very agile – my muscles were still a little bit sore, but I was oh, so much better, comparing to the morning after I almost died.

I stripped myself slowly, almost afraid the underwear would make any noise leaving my body and hitting the ground and I stepped into the tub.

Okay so now was it. The water started running – ice cold first, almost freezing my scalp but thankfully, not five seconds later, my body greeted the warm water. It was soothing, amazingly relaxing.

My real desire was to stay there at least for an hour, but I had to be fast. I knew that, when _he_ realized I had showered myself, he would lecture me, for sure. And I know what he would say… and he had a point, but… my embarrassment prevailed in this circumstance. And being here, in his bathtub, did bring to my memory certain events… namely his words, his… innocent kiss that drove my mind astray too much easily… God he was great at kissing. His lips were simply… maddening.

_Addictive_.

_Ugh_. I had to stop thinking about _that_. I didn't know what he expected to do – or say – about that, by the way. But I had a feeling he didn't want to bring the subject, maybe for some reason, definitely… totally unknown to me.

_Enough with the ranting and finish your shower_!

Suddenly I remembered – yep, I should hurry up with the shower. Without thinking twice, I grabbed the shampoo and the shower gel and started with it, as fast as I could. Two minutes after I had started, I had a pretty mess done in the tub. I had foam all over me, and the shower gel recipient had fallen twice, making a hell of a noise.

"Shit…" I whispered, realizing I was still too wobbly to perform a quick shower as I would like to. I crouched, trying to close the recipient once and for all.

And then I heard the shower curtain.

Not exactly next to me, not exactly in front of me… most likely behind me. I was able to confirm that precise direction when I heard the curtain… again. Closing.

I knew instantaneously. He was there, I didn't have to guess.

I remained crouched for a couple of seconds and then I stood, gradually. He didn't move an inch.

_What the hell is he doing_?

My thinking froze. I didn't know what to do. Oh well, I knew very well what I wanted to do, but I couldn't - I wanted to leave this tub, right this second… but I couldn't. I had foam all over my hair. And body.

I was so screwed. His silence was the worst. What, should I turn and say something? Apologize?

I concentrated a bit. Okay I was slightly out the water range. By now, he was showering more than I was. And I needed to get this foam out of my hair. And I was naked.

_Damn Sora, why did you take so long_?

My mind chastised me over and over again.

"I'm almost done." I said, my voice breaking.

"Hardly." He said, his voice hard. Man, he was annoyed – again. Just like that night when I left his bed to get that glass of water in the kitchen.

"I thought that I could-"

I half-turned my head in his direction, planning on justifying myself. I had to made up a nice justification though, or he would plot I was actually lying in a no-time. But I wasn't able to finish my sentence, because of what I had seen through the corner of my eye.

A very naked Sephiroth stood exactly behind me.

My eyes opened excessively and I breathed in a long intake of air, while I turned my face to face the tiles in front of me, again.

_Oh. my. God_.

Thank God, I had seen anything… in concrete. Only skin and a very remarkable body. And the lack of contrast was obvious enough… he hadn't his boxers on. God, no… Oh, this was bad, very bad.

_What the hell is he thinking? Is he trying to embarrass me to death? _

It had to be something very close to it. What, was he doing this to punish me for not obeying him? Most likely. I was almost imagining his line of thinking would be something very close to: _"Oh, are you playing independent with me, ha? I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to get naked with you in the tub, so that you can die mortified by my feet!"_

I couldn't say a word in response. I couldn't think. And I was starting to get cold.

"You can approach me." He said, neutral as always. "I don't bite."

_Yeah, right_. He didn't bite. _Very funny_…

I remained there, feeling the cold on me, on my hair. There was _no way_ I was going to get close to him… like that. That very thought sent chills all over me.

But I didn't have much saying in this. His hands found my shoulders and I felt him exerting a little of pressure, for me to step… backwards.

_Oh, no_.

My mind and body remained still, static, not giving in to his will.

"Sora…"

_Please, don't say anything_…

Before I could say anything, I was beneath the shower, foam and streams of long water forming all over my form. There were only his hands in my shoulders, but I was so frightened… I was so scared that he would do…

"You're afraid." He declared, next to my left ear.

I shivered. It was true.

"I am." I whispered, squeaky cleaned by now. There was no foam left in me… or the tub. Only water. Soft, warm, relaxing water. And I had never felt this tense in my entire life.

"You're done." He said, his voice filled with disappointment and unavoidability.

I didn't answer to him. His hold on me softened and I exited the tub, dripping wet. I closed the curtain and shivering, I searched for the towel. I wrapped myself and I exited the bathroom, headed to my own room, where I got dressed – the usual, a set of lingerie, the first one I had access to.

In less than a minute, I returned to his bedroom, dried my hair and got into the bed. His bathroom door was closed and he had already ended his shower.

Gripping my pillow tight, I closed my eyes, hoping that my heartbeat would calm down sooner, and that sleep would catch me up by surprise.

I didn't know if it was the stress, or the fear, or the surprise I had felt when I saw him naked… but honestly, I didn't notice his presence anymore…

Not even when he left the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist.

Not even when he put his boxers on, revealing his nudity to me once again.

Not even when he laid down next to me, half-covering himself as usual.

Not even when he stared at me sleeping profoundly, with an apprehensive, unselfish look in his eyes.

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**A/N – Okay don't kill me for nothing happening in the shower… for the third time. I considered it, I did, really, but it didn't seem the right moment. I thought of something better instead. In the chapters that will follow you'll see what I am talking about. :D**

**Review guys! Can't wait to read your opinions LOL**

**I promise that it will worth the wait;)**


	32. Chapter 29

_Disclaimer: As always._

**A/N - There you go. Another update. Gosh I'm inspired. Hope you like it:D I certainly did enjoy a LOT writing this. It is an important phase... and most of you now wonder... what will happen from here?**

**Enjoy, my dear readers.**

**As always I would like to thank to EVERYONE that reviews faithfully every chapter, I wouldn't know what to do without you guys, your words are magical to me:D You inspire me and you are the best supporters EVER:)**

**Oh and... just a quick reference to an amazing fanart piece by PixPix (DArt account), on the First-Kiss Challenge. It's great and it's really worth a visit! I mean it. Really, just go and see it for yourself:) Find it at the artist DArt account, it's named "First Kiss". Easy to spot LOL**

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**_Oh and, just to let you know - all the details on challenges, contests and general issues about MY Fanfic's are supposed to be updated at my website - it's there in my profile. My DeviantArt account and the links in my profile have information about it as well, but the regular updating, prizes, rules and so on will be posted THERE always. Just to let you know. :D Check it out and have fun... :D_**

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_**Chapter 29. **_

I woke up startled.

The room was dark, and there was silence. Only an even breathing next to me was audible… since my own sounded slightly irregular.

Before I knew it, my mind was immediately filled with images of last night. He, naked in the tub, with me. What did he want? What did he expect, anyway? That I would turn around and give myself to him, just like that?

I'm not like that. He should have known that by now.

_Did he want me that bad_?

I couldn't simply believe it. He had been so uninterested lately, so … spaced out. What did he intend with this… onslaught? Not to mention the kisses. Those had been… amazing, okay, but... from occasional kissing to actually be naked with him in a tub and be okay with it… goes a great distance.

I looked at him, discreetly. He was sleeping, like an angel, exactly as the other night.

So fair. So… unknown to me.

_What do you want from me_?

Funny thing was… I did like all that contact with him, all those moments he had touched me were like fire set in my skin. But that situation in the tub… it had scared me terribly. I didn't know why, but the determination in his hold, in my shoulders, transpired something more intense; it transpired… craving. Something I had never felt that intensely flowing from him… to me.

I didn't know if it was good… or bad. All I knew was… that I didn't want to do _that_ with him. At least, not this way, this soon... Not like _that_, rushing such… loving moment.

But, even with all his strange attitudes, I did care for him. A lot. I had developed these feelings for him and I wasn't capable of hiding them anymore. I was at the verge of asking directly what on Earth did he feel for me, what he wanted, what did he expect from… us.

Would it exist… "_us_"? Would it be possible?

Would I dare to dream of that? Me, him, together?

I sighed, frustrated. I felt completely lost.

Slowly, I managed to turn to him. He didn't move, he remained still, his right arm resting at the side of his body and the other one somewhere on his stomach. Looking at his profile, all I could grasp was his long eyelashes, hard cheekbones and a dazzling profile. His gray hair… so alien, so strangely beautiful… his eyebrows, the same color of his hair, seemed to glow in the shadow that surrounded us. The night wasn't completely dark – the moon provided a bluish, ethereal, dim light bathing the room.

I remained there, next to him, my head in my pillow, fighting a strong will to touch him.

If I would touch his arm, would he awake?

If I whispered my desires against his skin, would he listen to me?

I didn't know. All I knew was what I felt. And strong feelings were starting to overwhelm me.

Before I knew it, my fingers touched the skin of his arm.

I wanted to hold him, I wanted to… hell, I didn't know what I wanted.

My forehead followed. It rested there and I closed my eyes, grabbing his arm as if I was grabbing the essence of my own life. I let myself wander what I would like to become… to him. For him.

I wanted to see him smile more often.

I wanted to feel his affection constantly.

I wanted him… to love me.

"Can you do that?" I whispered, only to my ears, against his skin. God knows how badly I wanted him to say "_Yes, I can. I will_." But I had the complete notion that I was aspiring for too much. He would never say that. He would never-

"That depends."

My eyes bugged at the sound of his voice. He had heard me. And I was still there, with my forehead, my nose and my hand glued to his arm. Talking about being stuck in an awkward moment.

"What is it that you want me to do, exactly?"

_Oh. Christ_.

How can such a tender moment turn into such nightmare?

"I was just thinking to myself." I whispered. It was true. There was no point in lying. He would figure me out way too easily.

"Is that so?" He asked, and I felt his breathing somewhere in my head. Okay, he had turned his face to me.

_This is going to be nasty_, I thought, heartbreaking.

"It's true, I was just…" Yeah, I was just whishing too much. Too much that wouldn't become real, not in this life. "Nevermind." I ended up saying. It wasn't very courageous, but it was definitely easy. An easier way out of this, that was for sure.

A thick silence followed. None of us said anything. I didn't move and he didn't flinch.

_Weird_.

"You seem pretty at ease with being close to me right _now_."

"I am." I said, knowing too well he was referring to my panic attack in the shower, a few hours ago.

"Why?" He asked, genuinely. But he didn't wait for me to answer him. "Do you really think I would… force you? Do you really think I would do something to-"

"No, I know you wouldn't." This time, I was the one interrupting him. _If you wanted to, you would have done it already.._., my mind added. He had had plenty of opportunities to do whatever he wanted with me, and he hadn't. He had always been respectful. He had always given me space. Well, apart from yesterday.

"Do you? Are you sure?"

I closed my eyes and sighed in response. How, how could I explain this to him? How could I speak my heart to him without making a fool out of myself?

I moved slightly up and searched for his eyes. His face was closer than I thought.

_Tell him, once and for all. Just tell him_.

"I am sure, yes." I said, looking at him with my hand still on his arm. "But sometimes you confuse me. I don't…" I paused, breathing nervously, seeking concentration to speak. This was not an easy thing to say. "I don't know what you want or how you feel. I need to know… Please, tell me what is _this_ that sometimes… flows between us."

"Sora…"

"It doesn't matter _what_ it is. But please tell me _something_, so that I can act with some coherency." I felt unstoppable now. He wasn't cutting my speech so I had to seize the opportunity. "One moment, you're kissing me like there's no tomorrow and, the other moment, it's like I'm not even there… as if I didn't exist next to you." Well, I couldn't be more direct than this. "It hurts." I added, remembering too well how his misplaced actions crushed my feelings and my hopes.

He remained silent next to me and, for the first time, he was the one looking away from my eyes, his face turning to face the ceiling.

I felt my heart constrict. This couldn't be a god thing.

However, before I knew it, he was turning to face me completely and his hand searched for my face. I felt a little bit anxious at that moment, but I let him lead the way. I had the feeling he wanted to say something important.

As I faced him, all I could sense was his fingers in my jaw, my neck, my hair and his stare searching for mine. In the moment that happened, I felt a flux of despair all over him. His complexion, so authoritarian and neutral once, now was completely open up to me. My mouth half-opened, amazed.

I had _never_ seen him act like this.

"Do you imagine the turmoil lingering inside me?" His words were more like whispers. "Do you imagine what it is to feel something that consumes your mind and makes you burn with need?"

I couldn't say anything in return. I was too appalled to say anything coherent. I felt like I was hypnotized or something.

"Do you… have any idea of what it felt… almost loose you because of my stubbornness and… incapability of dealing with this?"

My God…this was powerful. Very powerful indeed.

"Do you imagine what it is craving like a madman, now… and not knowing why… not knowing how to stop it…"

My throat constricted whilst listening to his words.

_Oh, God, don't say that_.

I gulped, as he paused. I didn't know if he had finished speaking already but I knew I felt pretty much touched by his words. Hi words had been beautiful. Awkward, but… beautiful. I wanted so much to tell him that I liked him, that I wanted him near me, that I wanted him to kiss me in that very moment…

My hand traveled to his face. He didn't move, nor did he avoid my touch. His soft, tantalizing skin prevented me to let go of him. Each time I touched him, I wanted more.

I made a slight movement forward, so that our noses could touch. I need to show him that I was there, that I felt a need for him possibly as strong as he did and that I desired him. Now and forever. But mostly _now_.

He seemed to grasp my intention. He seemed to read my mind as well.

He moved. Fast, he positioned himself half-above me, our bodies making contact. His skin touching mine felt like fire. His hand never left my face, nor mine has left his face, nor our noses stopped touching. He closed the space between us and I felt his breathing hit my lips, a warm warning of what would follow.

I could feel it… he was letting go. Finally, after so many days, he was opening himself to me.

His mouth found mine faster than I expected. Our lips were angled in such a teasing way that I felt my eyes closing and my body giving in to the pressure I felt. The feeling of his mouth on mine was something worthy of remembering… of experiencing… over and over again. His mouth quickly partially-opened in search for my tongue and then… he started exploring.

And, what a quest, may I add.

There was no holding back this time. This kiss was similar to that one in my bedroom, but he was far more motivated.

His mouth moved with mine, each one of us giving everything we had, every shift, every touch felt more powerful than the last one.

Before I knew it his leg and knee were positioned in between my legs. Never letting go of me, his lips never leaving mine, I felt how easily things could escape control. Our breathing was ragged, and I sensed him pause from his attack, slightly, with his lips intertwined with mine, as if he was savoring a very tasty meal.

However my impatience spoke higher. My arms and hands found his neck and I closed the distance between us once again. My mouth found his and, to my surprise, he was already prepared to receive me. His tongue ravaged tenderly my mouth once more, as I felt one of his hands traveling to my waist, his fingers grabbing me. His touch felt urgent... needy.

I whimpered at the sensation his hands provoked on me – I was wearing only underwear, as usual. His kissing was reaching levels of such intensity, of such closeness… that I had the impression that he would easily have me this night, if we didn't, eventually, stop.

However, what happened was far different.

His hand, the one that had been exploring my abdomen, now searched for my arms. Applying a slight pressure, he removed my grasp of him and, gradually, his face followed.

"What?" I whispered, breathless. God, he was terribly good at this.

He didn't answer. He stared at my face a little bit and the contact between our bodies became to fade. Before I knew it, he was already sitting by the edge of the bed, focused on something that was far beyond _me_, that was for sure.

Then, out of nothing, he stood, facing first the wall… and, not a second after, the window.

_Oh-uh. Not another run off_.

This time the odds weren't in favor. I saw him reach the window, open it, and exit it without saying a word.

"W-Wait… Sephiroth…" I said, while I tried to get up and sit. My muscles were still sore, but I could do it. "Talk to me." I declared, as he disappeared from my sight.

I felt a pang of despair all over me.

No, I couldn't let him leave, just like that. I would follow him and make him listen to me. These… nonsense attitudes after astonishing kissing had to stop. Running away wasn't the answer.

I got up, ignoring the discomfort I felt. The cold breeze that blew from the window made me chill and shiver… but that wasn't going to stop me. Not now.

I removed the thick blanket from his bed and I wrapped myself with it. I must look like a famished polar bear but I didn't care. I had to talk this out with him, _right now_.

I reached the window and exited it as well. He was there, next to the wall, his half-naked body exposed to the cold wind of the northern mountain winter.

_God, he must be freezing_.

Holding the blanket tight all around me, bare feet in the wooden ground, in the porch we stood, for a couple seconds, silent. I, watching him stand with his back to me, facing something ahead I couldn't concrete what it was, felt completely taken aback.

_I'm not giving up. This is my chance_.

My mind was right. This was my chance of talking this out with him, no matter the consequences.

"Running from me is not the solution." I said, knowing too well he would listen to me. "Why do you keep avoiding me after we-"

"You don't understand." He interrupted me, not moving from where he stood. "I cannot give you what you want… I'm not a man fit for affection."

I could almost feel real pain in my chest after processing his words.

"Don't say that." I whispered, my voice barely audible. "How can you possibly know what I want if you never asked me?"

"You don't have to tell me. Your… reactions say it all."

"I like you, that's why I respond to you the way I do." I said, despair all over me. I couldn't believe he was blocking me this way.

"Well you shouldn't. You mustn't." He declared, his voice hard as he was ordering someone, back in his general mode, while he turned his head slightly above his shoulder half-facing me.

That annoyed me.

"Well I'm sorry but I can't get rid of my feelings just like that." I said with a sharp tone. "And neither can you."

"This isn't right." He whispered, shooking his head, his hair making a wavy motion.

I felt unstoppable right now. He wasn't making any sense and I had to make him realize that.

"What? What isn't right? Letting go?" I said, approaching him. "Allowing yourself to do what you feel and follow your heart? There's nothing wrong with that, Sephiroth."

There was a moment of silence after my words were said. He seemed to be immersed in thought or something. I thought he would eventually leave me there and would disappear, like the last time we had kissed this way, but… strangely, he didn't. He turned to me, slowly, and he faced me. His eyes met mine. His complexion exhaled… sorrow.

"Sora…" He started, "I never _related_ with women, like a regular man. I was programmed for certain things in life and never knew anything beyond that. I am not a man with ability to… care, or… love. I cannot offer you what you deserve because I…" He breathed in and out heavily before saying something that, I presumed, must be very difficult. "…I don't know how to." He finally admitted.

Okay, this was powerful. This was him admitting he had a failure in within himself. That ought to be hard.

"You can do it if you want to. You can_ learn_ how to." I said. "You only have to be yourself…"

"Myself?" His face was, suddenly, irate. "You know what I did. You know what I am capable of, and you're telling me to just be _myself_?"

"What you did is past. Past tense. And… it wasn't all of your making and you know that. Besides being programmed to war, you were under _Her_ influence."

"_She_'s part of me, I can't avoid that."

"But _She_'s silent now." I said, hesitating a little. "Isn't S_he_?"

"Yes." He admitted.

Man, that was a relief.

"Don't overthink it. What is done is done. Don't blame yourself and… don't punish yourself this much for what you did." I declared, trying to call him to reason. "Let it go." I whispered, in his direction.

"You don't know what you're asking from me." He finally managed to say.

"I'll help you… if you let me." I said, my voice tender. One of my hands searched for his but he didn't let me. He was really serious about this.

"Sora…" He whispered, making a pained face.

"Please, let me help you dealing with things. I won't be intrusive but I'll be here, I'll support you and listen to you when you need to." I didn't know from where words came out, but I was really speaking my heart out here. "And… we'll manage our… relationship…"

Okay, I know I was being bold but… I had to give it a shot.

"Do you really believe what you're saying?" He said, discredit all over his face. It was pretty obvious he had never made use of the word "relationship" in the world. In any aspect.

"I do. Why are you being so difficult about… having a bond with someone? It's not like something alien."

Okay, maybe I shouldn't have said the word alien. But he didn't seem too affected, anyway. There was something bothering him the most, I could feel it.

"Sora…" He started, his gaze fixed on me, hard. "I fucked women. Period. No bond. No nothing." Man, those were really harsh words. "And I wanted _that_ exactly, when I got inside that tub with you."

I felt a little frightened after processing such ruthless speech. Maybe scaring me was the whole point about this dialogue after all. Maybe he just wanted me to fear him and stop wanting him. Anyway, it was a little late for that.

"But you didn't. You let me go and… you have been living close to me without disrespecting me. That's all I need."

His face seemed to reveal some surprise. He clearly didn't expect that I would say something like that. Well, points on me.

Our stares remained locked for what it seemed like forever. The wind all around us didn't seem to have any effect. It was freezing, but my strength of mind prevailed. There was no way I was going to leave him right now.

No way, not after what had happened between us not long ago.

"I know all this, that is happening, is new to you, but… I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." Could I be more reassuring than this? Impossible. "What are you afraid of?"

My words startled him. And I kind of understood why – it was a reversal of papers. I was supposed to be the one afraid, the whole time. But now, it was his turn. He, the all-mighty general, afraid of something. Afraid of his own _feelings_.

"Go back inside." He said, his stare on the wall now. There it was, his freaking neutrality mask again. Oh, I got it. It meant "_I have to think about this_", most likely. But since that was a very lame line, he couldn't afford to say it.

_Proud as always_.

"Okay." I said, my voice fading.

I stepped back and, before going inside his bedroom again, I looked at him.

"At least come inside, you must be freezing." Yeah, being outside only with his sexy boxer shorts on, in a wintery night mustn't be very pleasant. "I'll go to my room if you want to be alone."

"That won't be necessary." He said, turning his back to me. "I'm fine."

_Stubborn_…, I thought.

Once inside the bedroom – his bedroom – again, I got inside the bed. It felt weird, without him next to me.

But as I laid down, I held his own pillow instead of mine. It smelled like him, so… intensely, so… concentrated… it was heaven to my senses. I gripped the pillow tight and I closed my eyes, imagining he was there, with me.

Imagining he would whisper to me words of tenderness and love;

Imagining he would hold me forever, not minding the world around us… until sleep won me over, surrounded by his essence.

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**A/N - So, what will he do/say? I'm all ears LOL**

**Can't wait to read your reviews guys:D You feed my inspiring muse LOL and that categorically means... Updating very very often;)**


	33. Chapter 30

**A/N - Hey guys! I know, I know, it's been a while. But, you know, finals really consumed me in late August and early September. Well, it turned out pretty well – I got great marks in both subjects and so, here I am, ready for a new phase of constant updating on this story and driving it to its inevitable… end - which won't be an ultimate end, because I'm considering strongly the possibility of a sequel, so... **

**Anyways, there you have it, chapter 30 :) Hope you like it.**

**As always, my sincere thank you's to all of you that reviewed avidly last chapter, the fav's and all and, of course, my thanks for your immense patience – I am aware it's been almost a month since my last update. **

**Okay. So, there you have it. **

**Enjoy :)**

_**Disclaimer: As always.**_

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_**Chapter 30. **_

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I had some trouble falling asleep.

In my mind, our conversation replayed constantly, his words… my words… his gestures, his face. Everything seemed so strange and, at the same time, so… right.

_Like it was supposed to be_.

Would he say yes? Would he risk a relationship…with me? I wondered, deep down inside, if he wanted so, if his heart really desired it or… if all this proximity between us was mainly circumstantial. Me, him, in this place, alone, one day after another. Would it be so inevitable? Well, if he'd be a normal man, I would think so very obviously. But considering it was _him_… I wasn't so sure about it anymore. No, he wouldn't definitely behave like an ordinary man – he hadn't ever. So, in this particular circumstance, he wouldn't also.

It was just a matter of using logics, I guess. Or maybe… I was just exaggerating.

Sleep won me over eventually.

When I woke up, there was light – prevailing sun rays invading the bedroom. I didn't know what time is was, but the silence all around was a powerful predictor of what was happening… again.

All was going to be back to "normal", I was willing to guess. He would leave at early hours and I would be at home, minding my own business with the house tasks. And, as always, he would be back to eat, passing by as if I wasn't there, as if he was here… alone.

I was already very capable of moving. Although slow in motion, I could do some basic stuff without his help already. For instance, I was able to put my clothes on with satisfactory ease; I moved with acceptable swiftness in the kitchen; I was able to get there in the basement for food and back again in less than fifteen minutes – which was great. These were small victories, considering there had been moments I seriously considered that I would be crippled for the rest of my life. And so, these little victories occupied my mind and at least kept me without thinking about him and the events of last night, which was great.

My bruises were starting to fade, finally. Even slightly dotted, my face was now practically back to what it was, no swelling, no stitches visible (as the General had promised), almost no purple already. My long hair formed now a dark curtain next to my face, something I wasn't used to in a long time. I had used short hair for most of my life, and having long hair reminded me of childhood. It reminded me of the sweet, happy moments I lived with my parents, long before they…

Tears started to form and uncontrollably fell along my cheeks, while I arranged things in the kitchen to make lunch.

I miss them, I missed their words, their advice, their presence.

But they would never get back. They belonged to another world already, a world that wasn't my own. The world of those who disappear without a trace, to vanish in the memories of those with whom once were close to.

Depressing thoughts were terrible to my ego. Quickly, I realized I needed fresh air; I needed to go outside and smell the green and clean aroma of the mountains.

Opening the kitchen door that led to the porch, I allowed myself a few minutes of smooth winter breeze freezing my face, my body… until my eyes met the vegetable garden close to house, completely… wild. The vegetables, the fruits, the leaves growing without control, were huge. I needed to take care of that – one week without my proper attention and it looked like jungle already. The soil in here must be very good, to allow growing at this rate.

I approached it, and scanned the area. Where would I start?

I tried to make it right at my first try but I couldn't – I had too much fun wandering around the place with my little furry friends all around me. I had to laugh when I was confronted with dark eyes and white fur all of the sudden, surprising me, as I touched the carrots.

"Hey little fella."

No animal had been so much friendly with me since… forever. It was like this cute little rabbit knew me already and had been worried about my absence of late. That funny little pink nose, welcoming, questioning me.

"What? Do you want a hug?" I said, smiling in its direction.

Although, no touching was allowed. As I moved my hand in its direction, to touch its ears, an epic runoff took place. And, some minutes later, they were back to circle me and accompany me in my gardening cleaning. There was no way to predict what was going on in those little minds.

I lost track of time.

I ended up – finally – reminding myself that I had a meal to make for someone and that I was already late… most likely, very late.

I grabbed a couple of tomatoes, a carrot and a lettuce and I made my way back to the kitchen.

Not closing the door behind me, I entered the kitchen, only to realize I wasn't alone there. The General was already inside, his arms crossed, resting his form against the counter, where I had all the ingredients, still raw, to cook.

"Oh." I said, surprised. "You're here."

_Duh_.

"For a while now." He said, with his eyes on me. God he was really handsome. Okay, snap out of it, say something, explain yourself.

"I'm late, I'm sorry-"

"I wasn't expecting you would make meals today. So I returned earlier." An interruption, followed by a justification. I didn't know if that was a good thing, or not. I couldn't decode his signs, most of the times.

"I'm feeling much better." I said. "I thought I could-"

"It's okay." He interrupted again, with an amazing tender voice. Oh, man, that wasn't a good thing. It made me remember instantaneously of those moments last night… the kissing, the hugging… those amazing sensations.

We remained in silence for what it seemed like forever, our stares locked. The silence was starting to become uncomfortable, but thankfully he talked, while I felt completely naked under the scrutiny of his stare.

"Your hair is longer."

_What_? Wow. I didn't even know he would notice something as trivial as that on me.

"It is." I said, remembering how I had stated exactly that some hours ago. "I realized that too this morning. It has been a while since I let my hair grow this much." I informed, more like… sharing than anything else.

"How are your bruises? Do you feel any pain?" He asked, his voice acquiring a neutral tone now.

"Nothing hurts like it did… really." I said. It was nothing but the truth.

"So it still hurts." He deduced, making a small movement with his eyebrows.

"A little, when I move. But it has nothing to do with the pain I felt last week."

He nodded, considering my words. And then, something amazing happened, something that I wasn't expecting, not in a million year: he smiled vaguely. And I, before I knew it, I smiled back, expecting that my grin wasn't very… obvious.

"I'll help you." He suddenly said, walking towards me and positioning himself close to the counter, his eyes searching for something. Most likely he searched for a knife, something to start peeling off the vegetables. That was cute of him, but I was used to have the kitchen all to myself. He had made that a habit.

"No, it's okay, really, I-"

"I insist."

He didn't give me a chance to say no and kindly refuse his help. Before I knew it, he was next to me, sticking his hands in everything that was inside that dish-washer.

"I never asked you if you liked the vegetables this way… I assumed you-"

"You mean the salad?" He asked, eyeing me temporarily. His hands were so close to mine, his arms touching randomly mine. I was completely aware of him, it was impossible not to. He was too… hot for me to remain indifferent to his presence.

_He asked you a question! Answer him, come on_!

"Yes." I said, not knowing where to look at. Well, the tiles ahead seemed to be a great spot to focus on.

"I do, actually."

His answer was almost automatic. Oh. Well. Points on me. I guess.

"And the food? I don't use spices, really, so-"

"Sora." He interrupted, looking at me again. "Everything is great. It has always been great."

"Uh… okay." I mumbled, my cheeks burning. It was a compliment. He liked my cooking. "I'm glad then." I finally managed to say.

But I felt happy. Inside, I felt whole and very, very pleased, just simply having him next to me, chopping up carrots.

"What are you doing this afternoon?" He asked, while I was cleaning up the mess we had created making lunch. It had been very nice, having a meal with him, like two normal persons would do.

"Oh. Well. I was thinking about laundry and… well you know, it's been a while since-"

"Can it wait?"

"I… guess so. Why?"

My question was genuine. I even turned my stare away from the counter and fixed my gaze on his, just to make sure I hadn't heard things. His stare focused on mine for a second and then, I heard his voice.

"I need to show you something."

My complexion must have mirrored the surprise I felt in that moment. He, wanting to show me something? Man, this was something!

"Oh. Okay."

_Okay_. I guess it was okay, but I wasn't too certain. The curiosity inside me burned.

After I was done in the kitchen, we left home and we walked, throughout the forest, for what it seemed like forever. And we were clearly going up. I was completely aware of everything, since this was new to me, new in every perspective. New, because he was doing something I wasn't accustomed to: he was sharing, and because the path we followed was completely wild. Where was he going to take me, anyway?

After a concrete half an hour, I caught a glimpse of something that wasn't green, but it mixed very well in the scenario. It looked like an old cabin, like those the forest guards keep in the woods.

We approached the place and I saw him unlock the place. He was first breaking the silence.

"I come here, every day."

"Is this what I think it is?"

"I can't read your mind, although sometimes you may think I can."

"Are you spying on Shinra?" I said, looking at the identified devices spread all over that place, making it look like a control room or something. "007 and Dr. No" came immediately to my mind.

"Not quite. I'm only supervising their communications."

"Supervising?"

"I need to know if we're safe here. I need to know their strategies, their plans." He explained, as he rested against one of the huge panels at my left side. "I cannot afford to be caught again in their web of lies."

His tone was harsh, showing a lot of resentment. I wondered, what had Shinra done to him after all, what had happened for him to get like this? Well, as the General wasn't the blabbering type, I had to be patient. If he wanted eventually to tell me something about it… he would. Right now, other questions, more important ones, came to my mind.

"But, we're safe, right?"

"Until now, yes."

_Until now_. So, now I was aware of what he was doing every day. He was checking on us. Constantly, making sure everyone would think of him dead and vanished.

That, on the other hand, reminded me of something rather important to say to him.

"You know…" I started, searching for his eyes. This was important enough. "I don't think my… _ex_'s appearance here compromised our location."

This whole "us" thing was completely new to me. But I liked it. Nonetheless, I continued. I had to tell him the information I had been given that night.

"I asked him who else knew about him coming here."

"Did you have time to ask him that?" He asked, somehow surprised.

"It was before I ran off. When I saw him, inside the house, I… it was my first thought, so I asked him directly "_Who else knows you're here_?"" I paused slightly before I continue. These were hard memories to retrieve. "He told me no one knew, that he wouldn't be stupid to the point of alerting the authorities to get me."

"Did he say that, exactly?"

"Yes." I declared. "He has… had criminal record, because of me."

"That coincides exactly with the content I've been tracking lately." He admitted. "Which is, absolutely nothing. According to what I've been listening, no one suspects our location."

"So, we're safe here. For real." I said, immediately.

"I… think so." He affirmed. "I don't like to cheer certainties in vain but… it appears so."

"That's a relief."

He nodded.

"Sephiroth…" I started, trying to gather courage to ask him exactly what I wanted. "Why are you showing me this? Why are you telling me all these things?"

"You should know." He said, almost reflexively.

"Why?"

Yeah, why? Why now and not a couple months ago or a week from here? Why was he doing this, after so much time living in this place? Did it mean something? Was he doing this because he cared for me to the point of-

"Let's get back home." He suddenly declared. "Soon it will be nighttime and we still have a long way to stroll."

Once again, he was evading himself from me. Okay, maybe I had pushed it. I seemed to have that terrible habit, always wanting more than what he was willing to give me. But, truth, was, this was stronger this me. This curiosity, this need I had, was very difficult to fight back.

Without a chance to say anything else, I followed him and we exited the cabin, with no further words.

Silently we returned home, the sky was already admitting an orange-pink tone, sign that the sun was about to set.

Once inside, I resumed to the kitchen, preparing dinner. The General disappeared for most of the time, only returning when the dinner was already on the table. He didn't say a word during the meal. Each second that passed made me feel more and more guilty. I wondered if I had said anything that offended him or if that was just him being himself, as usual.

I didn't say anything either, fighting my imperious will of asking him what happened, what on Earth justified that terrible silence, a silence that threatened to eat us both… alive.

It was his voice that echoed the kitchen, startling me.

"Let's get headed to the bedroom, please."

I looked at him with a blank expression.

"What?"

"You heard me."

I didn't know what to think, but I did follow him to the bedroom, expectant. _What. the. hell?_

"Take off your clothes."

I bugged my eyes after processing that one. Even my mouth half-opened, surprised. I was in shock. What kind of request was _that_?

His stare found mine quickly, while he was lingering next to the bed, which was the only barrier between us. His voice was heard once more, his tone hard.

"Take off your clothes so that I can assess your injuries."

Okay, so now was my turn to feel embarrassed. My mind had thought of… a different interpretation, and now… I felt my cheeks burning. Man, I was too desperate… and misreading the signs.

Slowly, hesitating, I took my clothes off until I resumed to my lingerie only. It felt embarrassing, and maybe a little humiliating, taking my clothes off like this, while his eyes evaluated me in the process.

We remained still for a moment. I, standing almost three meters from him, our stare locked. He seemed not to blink at all. Finally, he approached me.

His hands, his fingers followed his eyes. He scanned me like an X-ray machine, touching me slightly, no faltering, not even once. Wow, I wish I had the nerves he had. It would give me a much braver look.

"Very well." He finally said, stepping away from me.

"Is everything okay?" I said, trying to get something more from him. He was particularly… recoiling tonight.

"You're fine." He managed to say, eyeing me briefly.

I nodded. Great. Now what?

It was his voice that answered my mental question.

"You can lie down and go to sleep. I still have things to do."

And with that, he left the room. I stood there for a while, eyeing randomly the whole bedroom.

Okay, I had no clue of what to do. He wanted me to go to bed – his bed – and sleep. So I guessed... that was a good thing. If he didn't want me close to him he would have said so already.

Feeling kind of lost and hesitating in every move I made, I tried to stay calm and prepared myself to go to bed. I didn't know where he was, but he was inside. He had not left home. So… I guess I would have to wait and see what he had planned for tonight.

I went to bed dressed as usual – my lingerie set of before – and, silently, resting cozily against the soft sheets and pillow, I remained. I wanted to wait for him, at least to feel the heat of his skin before I went to sleep. I wanted to sense the firmness of his presence next to me, so that I could finally rest… with him.

But tiredness won me over, eventually.

* * *

**Sephiroth's POV**

* * *

This was getting harder and harder to resist. And by _this_, I meant the whole situation that involved me… and her.

As I knocked out imaginary enemies with my sword, my head traveled constantly to the events of last night and the sensations it triggered in me. Her smell, so tantalizing. Her tender, cute hands searching for me, for my face, aching for the touch of my skin. It was obvious that she wanted me as bad as I wanted her. She was just a little shy and fearful, but I didn't blame her. She had been through a lot.

Most women wouldn't have made it.

She, on the other hand, was like a contradiction. On the outside, she seemed fragile, about to break into pieces. But inside, she perspired strength. She had a fierce mind, a strong will to live. And she radiated such tenderness through those brown eyes… it almost felt impossible to stand firm against it. Much less ignore it.

Her conversation with me had been frank. She knew what she wanted and, most of all, she knew… how she felt about me.

It was strange, having someone admitting liking you. Liking me, not because of my rank or because of my influential position at Shinra. Just liking me, as simple as that. Accepting me, the way I am, with no demanding, no second intentions.

I wasn't used to this.

I wasn't used to such purity.

Sometimes I refused to believe it. More often than not, I thought "_There must be something she wants in return_". I thought of so many things a woman might want in return.

But then, I looked into her eyes and I wasn't able to find anything mischievous there. No demands, no second thoughts, nothing at all but… an intense flow of admiration and affection.

I had some trouble adjusting to that.

I liked her, I wanted her, yes… but having her, next to me, feeling that compassionate, it was… overwhelming. I didn't know feelings could get this powerful. I didn't know _this _existed. I never thought it would be possible.

Okay.

Maybe I was ready for this.

Maybe I was ready to engage in something unknown.

All I knew was what I felt. And it was dominant enough to ignore.

After closing the dojo and making sure the house was safely guarded, I went to my bedroom. She was already sleeping, her slender form resting under the sheets and blankets, her hair chaotically spread all over the pillow. It was a comforting view.

I showered fast, my chest aching strangely. I wanted – badly - to go to bed and lie down next to her, _feel_ her.

Swiftly, my body met hers, making a soft contact. Her reaction, even in such deep sleep, was automatic. I felt her adjust to me, her back and shoulders met my chest, her head fiddled with my neck, her arms and hands… searching me, my grasp, my hold.

I didn't have to think twice.

Holding her next to me, I let myself fall into a repairing, peaceful sleep – that kind of sleep I wasn't used to, for a long time.

* * *

**A/N - So, finally, sense is coming to our General. Admitting, finally, that he likes Sora the way it should be. Ah! Sweet, don't you think.**

**Now, next chapter, we'll see how the General will verbalize his intentions. With words… or with actions?**

**What do you think will fit him the most? Reviews are most appreciated! :D**


	34. Chapter 31

_**A/N – Okay, don't kill me when you start reading the chapter. A lot of you, readers, asked me for a different beginning but I… thought of doing it otherwise. Don't worry, what you guys want (cute cuddling between them) will come eventually. It's not described yet, but several of those moments will appear. I swear. :P**_

_**As always, my huge **__**thank you's**__** to all of you who haven't lost the faith in me and in my stories, and keep reviewing avidly and saying so great things about my writing… T_T You guys spoil me terribly and I love it :D **_

_**Just to inform you that there are forums about Dreamcatcher and several other matters on my website (check my profile). Namely, the high probability of a sequel is being discussed. You are most welcome to participate and tell me your opinion. I will need it 'cause I'm plotting the sequel meantime and I don't actually have a name for it. So I need suggestions.**_

_**ALL THE NEWS ABOUT THE PRIZES/CHANLENGES/CONTEST IS POSTED IN THE WEBSITE.**_

_**SO, I guess that's it. :D**_

_**Enjoy, people!**_

_**Disclaimer: As always.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 31. **_

When I woke up in the morning I was alone. If I hadn't seen the marks he had left in the bed, I would have dared to say that I had slept alone the whole night.

But he had been there, it was obvious – and I had missed him. Mainly, I had missed being aware of him.

_Damn_…

So much for my desires, my desperate need of feeling him next to me. I could almost imagine him sliding inside the bed without making a noise and positioning himself almost a mile from me. Oh, God. At this rate I would be sleeping back in my room very soon.

I didn't know what to think. What was this all about, after all?

I was seriously considering asking him about his… decision before the end of the week. I was not going to stand so much uncertainty.

In a swift movement, I got up from bed. Silence invaded the house. With a long sigh and slightly dizzy from getting up so hurriedly, I went to the kitchen. Everything was closed but he had already been there. The clock showed 9.20 am.

It was early.

Without hurry, I ate breakfast: toast and hot milk with chocolate. I finished it lazily next to the porch window, enjoying the view outside. Today the day was sunny.

I washed the dishes then and cleaned up the mess I had made for breakfast and I decided it was a good time to have a nice, long shower.

Completely unaware of my surroundings, I released a long yawn as I walked back into the hall, to get back to the bedroom.

I almost felt my heart stop.

"God!" I said, jumping.

A very serious Sephiroth stood, not a meter from me, catching me completely off guard.

He raised his eyebrows in response to my reaction.

"I-I… I thought you weren't at home." I said, my voice affected by the revelation his presence had given me.

"Well I am."

I looked at him immediately with a censoring gaze.

"I can see that."

Yep. I could see that. And I could see as well he was dressed differently today. No formal shirt, no coat. This morning he had a black T-shirt on, slightly adherent to his form, black pants and… nothing on his feet. Which were huge, namely compared to mine.

However, there was something new about him today. _His hair_. It wasn't loose. He was wearing his hair up. And it was – really - amazing, how that look fitted him as good as his usual hair style.

His eyes shone, his hard facial lines marked, now more visible to my eye. He was something to see, today.

"Your hair." I said, mesmerized.

"What about it?" He said, visibly curious, his left hand repositioning the huge sword he was grabbing, apparently disinterested in my answer. I had the sensation he was enjoying the effect he had on me.

"It's…"

"Up." He completed, his gaze suddenly on mine.

"It looks good on you." I declared. It did, really. Although I was used to see him with his hair at loose, I had to admit he looked particularly breathtaking like this. Well, not only because of his hair. It was him, his _whole_ image.

My, he was _so_ hot.

"Thank you."

"Okay." I answered, lost already in the details of his face, his body… oh. I should stop. Or I would die with mortification in front of him. "I… I am going to…"

And then the words just disappeared. Oh, man. I could only see him looking back at me, raising slightly his eyebrows again, inciting me to continue, but without really saying it. Finally, I managed to say something.

"Shower. Yes." I said, nodding mostly to myself.

"You do that." He said, visibly noticing how self-conscious I felt.

Without even blinking, I practically ran away from him, towards the bedroom. Wow, what a sight. He was … so beautiful.

Still dazzled with our last conversation, I went to shower. I only hoped he wouldn't join me like he did the other time – it would be embarrassing… But, most of all, I didn't know if I would be able to control myself. If he would have that idea again – surprise me naked in the bathtub… I wouldn't be capable of resisting. Not this time. Not with such remarkable anatomy like the one he possessed.

Thankfully, I wasn't visited during my shower. Although I felt nervous – after all, he was inside the house, doing whatever it was and there was some tension around us. I didn't know why, but it was there.

I dressed up fast and I went to the kitchen, thinking about lunch. My imagination for cooking wasn't very sharp today.

**-/-**

Busy with the juice machine in front of me and calculating the amount of oranges needed to make fresh orange juice for the day, I didn't hear him come in.

"Sora."

His voice was soft, although it possessed that characteristic seriousness, so typical of him. I was next to counter and I turned my face in his direction. He was next to the kitchen door. His hair was now down, as usual. Still, he wore the same clothes of before and he was… barefoot. No sword, thankfully. Maybe he had call it a day to his daily training.

"Yes?" I said, my voice faltering. The genuineness in his complexion worried me. I had a feeling he was about to bring up some serious matter.

"I…"

_Oh-uh_. Not a good thing.

He was struggling with words, while he approached me, until he stopped completely, very close to me. I had to look up like I was stargazing or something, just to keep my stare leveled with his. He was so… awfully irresistible. I wish I could hold him, anchor myself like… forever. My mind was completely absorbed in his details. Only his voice seemed to wake me up from this daily dream I was experiencing.

"I've decided." He finally said. I took some time processing his words. This was serious enough.

"You've decided…" I whispered, not knowing what to think. I didn't know if I had affirmed it or if I had made it sound like a question, but I was so anxious with the perspective of him telling me something about… _us_, that I wasn't capable of disguise it.

"You've got to stop fearing me someday." He said, with a gentle voice.

Oh, man. Maybe if he looked at himself sometimes, he would understand my reactions. Sometimes he was creepy. Really creepy. Of course, some other times he surprised me with… oh well. Tenderness. Affection. Amazing kissing.

"It's… I'm sorry." I said, trying to justify myself. I had to look away from his eyes to elaborate a coherent sentence. "I'm a little nervous." I admitted.

"A little?" He quoted, smiling softly. Great. He was making fun of me and my uncontrolled anxiety.

I didn't answer him with words. I just let my stare focus anywhere else, but not on his eyes. This moment, this terrible anticipation… it was somehow agonizing, really.

"Listen, I…" He said, suddenly, earning my immediate attention. Our stares locked once again. "I am willing to give us a chance. I… feel this…" His hesitation was almost painful. "… for you and…"

Oh my God. He felt_ something_ for me. He did. He had just admitted he did. Did I listen well? I could only look at him, mesmerized, my mouth half-opened with… surprise?

"I'm not very good at this." He finally said, like he was admitting something very uncomfortable.

"No!" I said, maybe too quickly. "You are, you are, really good at… this."

Yeah, he was. And he wasn't just good. He was outstanding, although he had that terrible idea about himself and that misplaced theory that he wasn't fit for loving.

"You really mean it." He declared, eyeing me curiously.

"Of course I mean it. I… " …_Like you with all my heart. …Want you with all my will. …Am surrendered to you without even blinking_?

He smiled at me vaguely. It was like he was reading my thoughts while I was thinking them. I didn't know how he could read me so well. I was, completely, at his mercy.

"So…" He started again, searching for my eyes. "How about you?"

"What about me?"

"Your opinion."

_My opinion_? He knew it already. So why was he insisting on it?

"You know already-"

"I want you to be sure." He said, his face neutral. Oh. So he wanted me to be sure. I didn't have to think twice about this. But, come on, I didn't want to show myself… excessively desperate for him.

"I… agree with you." I said. Okay, so this was the best way to tell him I – also - wanted to engage in a relationship with him. Discreet. Not straight to the matter.

"Very well."

He knew perfectly what I would say, that I would agree. He knew it all along. But, he wanted to hear me say it. That was very military of him, very typical. I was kind of used to his ways already. He felt doubtful that I could eventually have forgotten what I had told him two nights ago.

His stare left mine slowly. It was like he was thinking about what to do, how to react from now.

Unhurriedly, he left the kitchen, as swiftly as he arrived.

I felt suddenly lost, not knowing very well the terms of our little agreement.

Were we a couple, now?

**-/-**

We had lunch – an awkward silent meal, may I add, and I made a consistent volume of a very tasteful orange juice.

I was standing next to the dish washer, when I felt him next to me. His body, his extraordinary muscled upper body touched my right arm, and I shivered at the contact. I felt the hardness of his muscles through his clothes. God, I shouldn't be this transparent. It wasn't good to my ego.

I heard him talk to me, his masculine scent hitting my nostrils and imbibing me in a cloud of desire and melancholy. I searched for his eyes, hoping he would look at me differently. After all, we were linked now… somehow. _Weren't we_?

"I'm going out for the afternoon. I'll meet you at dinner."

His tone was very neutral, although his face showed something I couldn't exactly classify. His eyes were on mine while he spoke but, before I knew it, he was already off range. I only had time to answer him, nodding while I spoke.

"Okay." I said, as I watched him go and leave the kitchen, toward his afternoon duties.

Confused, I sighed. This was frustrating. I wanted him so badly, that I could almost squeal with yearning. Why was he behaving so defensively?

I wondered, for a consistent amount of hours if, at any moment, I had done something wrong.

**-/-**

He was back earlier. Way earlier.

Clearly, I wasn't expecting him around… 5 p.m.

I had been introspecting the whole afternoon – while laundry, while waiting for the machine to finish the spin cycle, while putting the clothes outside to dry. I had sat, in the porch, considering the latest events. I concluded nothing new.

And there I was, in the kitchen, crouched in front of the open refrigerator, trying to optimize the space inside it, as I thought about preparing something with mushrooms for dinner.

His sudden, rush appearance startled me.

He entered the kitchen through the porch doors. Almost automatically, I stood and closed the refrigerator door.

With a blank expression, I stared at him.

His eyes seemed to be on fire. His complexion was different and I sensed some hesitation from him. He didn't say anything, and neither did I.

We just remained there, a couple of meters apart, staring at each other. The anxiety and the anticipation were enormous, its heaviness threatening to demolish all around us.

_What are you thinking? What do you want_?

I didn't have time to verbalize my thinking, because he moved. Not fast, not slowly.

He moved in my direction, his long footsteps meeting my quivering form. I reflexively stepped back and my lower back met the counter, while my whole body found his. My heart rate rose instantaneously.

I felt my breathing alter as well in the moment I sensed his arms - one, and then the other – gradually envelop me, like an octopus. My face found his chest and my hands and arms remained still, defensively positioned next to him as well. It was like I feared him, feared his attitudes, feared him with all I had in me.

Then I sensed his breathing. His hot, tantalizing breath close to my right ear. My eyes shut down involuntarily. It was too much. This was too much to bear, I couldn't take it much longer.

As I felt the skin of his face next to mine, I wasn't able to control myself anymore. My hands touched the skin of his face, so fair, so strangely smooth.

_I could get used to this…_, my mind conceived. Yes, I could get used to many things, I could get used to this overwhelming part of him that assaulted me with longing transpiring all over. I felt it, that sudden craving, through his way of holding me.

Strands of his hair, randomly loose all around us, caressed me, teasing my hands to touch it as well. I had no doubt… if I could, eventually touch heaven, it would feel like this.

I knew what would follow – and I wanted it badly. I wanted to feel him again, his taste, his touch… but, most of all, I wanted to remember how it felt… kissing him. Random, vivid images of our first kiss, back in my bedroom, filled my mind. However, what made me gasp with anticipation was the memory of the emotions I had felt that night. Those had been intense moments.

_Priceless, unique sensations_.

My face searched for his. Without realizing it, I was angling my mouth toward his. I was behaving on impulse by now, letting my desire control my actions completely.

Without difficulty, our mouths found each other.

It was difficult to control myself when he pressed his lips against mine, while his altered breathing fueled my need to touch him constantly.

My left hand made contact with his cheek, ear and hair… his right hand met my neck, entangling his fingers in my hair, whilst his other hand grabbed me, my body, around my waist area, circling me completely.

I was definitely small, compared to him.

His mouth revealed some urgency. I realized how impatient he was feeling for more contact. Just like before, like that day in my bedroom, he ached rapidly for something more intense. And I was willing to give him what he wanted – because I felt that need as well. Without even thinking twice, I allowed him to deepen the kiss, not breaking the contact not even once.

His kissing was mind-blowing. Now, that we hadn't that stressful component of before – the argument, the harsh words – I was able to enjoy a lot more our not-so-innocent contact.

And I bet he did as well, judging by the way he responded to me.

Our first kiss of the afternoon almost left me without breath. After kissing me like the world was about to end and exploring untiringly each detail of my lips and mouth, he allowed me some moments to regain strength.

He didn't say a word, neither did I, but I wanted to. I wanted to say that I loved him and that I ached for this moment to come for too long, that I dreamed of the moment he would hold me like this and… and…

All I was able to sense was his half-dazed stare on me, while our foreheads met, while he explored my right ear with his nose and soft lips, while he… breathed against my skin, driving me mad with eagerness. His breath, hot and irregular was the only sign I had of him, an indication that he was enjoying this moment as strongly as I was.

I knew he wasn't a man of many words. He was mostly a man of actions.

_God, if he's this absorbing in all aspects I'm definitely in heaven already_…, my mind mocked, and I smiled vaguely at my own thought.

Now, if my eyes would focus something, it would be the kitchen ceiling. But I didn't see anything, I could only hear and feel. I could only feel how he kissed an imaginary line from my earlobe to my throat, slowly, languidly… I could only hear the way his breathing changed, each time his lips met my skin.

I felt shamelessly exposed, panting the way I did.

I had the feeling he liked that… seeing me, hearing me like I was trying to get air out of the air itself.

Feeling him teasing me like this gave me ideas. Similar ideas, ideas in which I was much bolder and…

He didn't let me think of anything in concrete, because his mouth found mine again.

And he was on fire.

* * *

**A/N – Okay so, finally! Even I was dying to see some action between them.**

**I need opinions, people! Things are going to warm up from now on. The following chapters will approach the expectation of… the rating. Shall I mark said chapters with "M-rated"? Do you want that or… just simply wait to be surprised? It's your call people :D**

**Please, review as many as you can… I am very eager to read your comments :)**

_**[Suggestion: Try "Ami –FFVIII Piano Collection" while you're reading the kissing scene in the end.]**_


	35. Chapter 32

_**A/N – I am terribly sorry for the long wait, but things went unexpectedly hectic the last two weeks. And I got to finish the prize for Yamilian (Shiro Usagi) and that was why it took me so much to finish this chapter.**_

_**Anyway, I had fun writing it. I can only hope you guys like it as well. Their relation-ship is finally evolving to something more concrete, but passion is definitely very hard to control and manage. Not to mention their…uh… urges? LOL**_

_**I'd like to thank all of you that reviewed – THANK YOU SO MUCH! – your reviews, comments, suggestions and adding to fav's feed terribly my ego and I am growing dependent on it. So please, keep on reviewing and making your point out there because your feed-back is more important than you might think :D**_

_**So, there you have it. **_

_**Enjoy.**_

_**Disclaimer: As always.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 32. **_

* * *

**Sephiroth's POV**

There was no manageable way possible of focusing after lunch. I had left her in the kitchen, fighting a terrible urge of… grabbing her.

After all, we had talked and we had… understood each other. We were in accord. There seemed to be no problem between us and our little… arrangement. I didn't know if that was the right word to classify what we _were_ right now.

It was a little weird to me, honestly, to feel so dislocated in what concerned this… _feelings_ thing. I was used to static things, controllable events, not overwhelming sensations invading me when I least expected. And not to mention the _nature_ of those sensations. That was simply awkward.

I tried to do what I did every regular afternoon. Go to the cabin, spy on Shinra and their dogs and then, when I considered it was enough for the day, get back home.

But I wasn't capable of doing so. Her face and images of her desirable apprehension filled, uncontrollably, my mind. When I got to the cabin I did what I did every time. But now, I wasn't listening. I wasn't paying attention. I wasn't… focused.

All I could think was her. All I could imagine was her smile. All I could feel was the desire, the need to touch her, to feel her skin against mine, her sweet lips meeting my own.

_For Jenova's sake, get a grip_.

My mind tried to focus. Yes, I tried. But to no avail. There was no way I was going to be able to be apart from her, from her smell, for a whole afternoon.

Before I knew it, I was already standing, preparing to leave that place.

_Oh hell, what am I doing_?

Yes, this was weird. I wasn't used to such unpredictability. I was a man that planned everything to an exaggerated detail, and this… was really driving me crazy. My heart beating never sounded this irregular. My mind never suffered this apparent… inability to concentrate.

_What was this? Was this… liking someone?_

So, _liking_ was … feeling completely astray without _that_ someone?

I had never thought about it. I had never felt this. I had no idea that feelings could be this powerful.

All I knew was I felt. I felt an almost unmanageable need to see her. And I needed to satiate my need. _Now_.

My hands, my legs, had a will of its own. Before I knew it, I was off that cabin, closing the whole place and going down the hill. And fast.

I walked swiftly. All I could think about was getting home and see her – see her face, her eyes, her hair, her kind expression always welcoming with an invisible smile, her complexion illuminated with something… I imagined it was the same thing I felt.

_It had to be_.

I remembered her words, her insistency the night we talked outside. She had been very sure of herself, and she had told me – today – she agreed with me. So, why was I feeling this anxious? She would be home, no matter the hour. She would be there, I knew it.

But I – simply – couldn't wait.

_What does this mean_?

_It means that I want her. And I am going to get what I want_.

My mind posed and answered the questions. It was a sign I was really tense.

Finally, I approached the house.

Too fast, my hands reached for the porch doors leading to the kitchen. She was there, I knew it. I could hear her breathe.

And I could hear myself breathing as well.

_Okay just calm down or you're going to scare her_, my mental voice warned. Yes, I had to calm myself down or I would risk her misreading the signs.

When I entered the place, she was hidden somewhere behind the refrigerator door. She took her time realizing _I_ was standing there.

Startled, she stood and looked at me, her stare lost – at first. Then, her face changed. She realized there was something different in me, and her sudden heartbeat rising gave her anxiety away.

_Don't fear me_…, I thought. I wasn't capable of saying it. Now, all I could see was _her_.

I approached her. She stepped back, reflexively, as if she wanted to run away but, at the same time, she wanted exactly the opposite.

She let me hold her, and the tension in my body decreased a little. Yes, this was how I could ease my mind – being with her, next to her,_ feeling_ her.

It was obvious to conclude that rationality didn't play much in this specific area of life. Impulse took over constantly. And I was willing to let it take over – almost – completely. I was new at this, I had to be cautious.

It took a good portion of the strength I had in me to approach her slowly. Feeling her, sensing her face looking for mine, her mouth searching for mine… filled me with something extraordinary gratifying. I liked it, I wanted to feel it more often. Her hand touching my face, revealing a despaired ache for… me, my affection… compelled me to intensify the contact with her.

With exaggerated eagerness, I kissed her, again and again. No kiss was enough, no touch would suffice to placate the hunger I felt inside me.

With my eyes closed, sensing her responding me with so much fervor, it was like I was immensely aware of my surroundings. Her uneven breathing meeting mine, while our lips moved against each other, when our tongues touched…

_Can I stop_?

I didn't know. But I sure didn't want to.

* * *

**Sora's POV**

He was on fire all right.

The second time his lips met mine, his tenderness was a little mixed up with rush. Not only had his mouth felt urgent… his touch had too.

I felt his hands and fingers in my scalp, grabbing my hair, holding my neck a little too much… fiercely. His other hand rested on my lower back. Well, not exactly rested. Too soon his hand got bored of my clothing and it dived underneath my shirt, his warm touch setting my skin on fire, marking fiercely all the areas of my back, the places he touched.

It was inevitable not to whimper against his mouth while I sensed him. There were so many things at the same time: we, kissing; his mouth, tasting me; his hands, in my neck and in my back.

When I had physical space to verbalize something, all that came out was a nosy moan.

"That drives me crazy." He suddenly admitted, with his mouth still on mine.

We remained glued to each other. I was truly surprised with such straightforwardness coming out of him.

"What?" I asked, not really realizing what he was talking about.

"The sounds you make." He breathed, again, against my mouth.

"Oh." I said, too lazily. The tone of my innocent "oh" came out surprised and exasperated. It was like I was having trouble to catch breath. And, somehow, it was true.

"Please, don't stop making them." He said, again, that terrible teasing tone. Gradually, the proximity between us increased again and, before I knew it, we were kissing. Again.

I lost track of time. I didn't know how many time – minutes, hours – passed by. All I knew was his touch, his huge frame enveloping me, his smell driving me crazy.

Our kissing had ups and downs. There were moments he seemed to want me so badly that the pressure he applied was almost painful… but then, there were moments in which our lingering contact resumed to a naive touch of lips, an innocent tongue contact, or simply teasing lip bites. All I could recall was how he had told me he hadn't had any real relation-ship. How could that be, if he kissed this wonderfully? How could that be, if he excelled tremendously at being sexy and… and…oh, I didn't know. Maybe he was just the way he was and I, falling completely for him, didn't see any trace of unawareness in the matter. Being that matter, well, relation-ships and its predicaments.

Eventually our fierce contact faded and, when I finally opened my eyes, all I could grasp was the darkness outside. It was nighttime already. And we hadn't made it out of the kitchen.

_Oh, this was going to be promising_.

"Maybe I should… uh… make dinner." I said, still half-dazed. I felt my lips hot and swollen, and I could only imagine my facial expression. Not to mention my hair.

He nodded, a vague smile decorating his face. Even the General was slightly out of breath. Well, at least it wasn't only me.

"I… I'll help you." He suddenly said, with his arms still around me. His eyes were so, so remarkable, that I could only stare back to him, mesmerized.

"Oh. Okay." I said, feeling a little embarrassed with how obvious my adoration for him was. "I'd like that." I added, smiling.

"Shall we start?" He suggested, removing his arms from me. It felt strange, not feeling his touch and his… well, hotness. But hey, we had to be apart from each other, at some point.

I smiled in return, as we both turned to the counter.

-/-

Dinner consisted, in fact, of something with mushrooms on it, but don't ask me what it was. We didn't talk much – me, because I was still a little appalled with the latest events and him – well, he was basically himself. I was used to his silence during meals. However, I was too aware of him. If he touched me, even mind-absently, I almost felt a pang inside my chest. Not for the worst reasons, but mainly because his touch felt very addictive. It really was something extraordinary, how I never realized that. I remembered the occasional times he touched me, back in my apartment. It felt nothing like this… or, then, it had been fear tainting my senses.

After dinner, he excused himself out of the kitchen and went elsewhere. Most likely, to his dojo. But, in the end, I found him in his bedroom, it was already 11 p.m.

"Are you going to bed?" I asked.

"Eventually."

_Oh, what a dry tone, General_.

"Oh."

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, I…" Yep. Bringing matters such as closeness during sleep was certainly an important matter to discuss right now. "…I don't know if I should… uh…"

Although my speech was frail, he did catch the essence of the problem I seemed to have.

"You've been sleeping in my bed for the last two weeks. Why shouldn't you keep on doing so?"

My mouth half-opened in response. Sometimes I did forget how direct he could be.

"I didn't know if you-"

"You really don't know me."

I felt my heart sunk. His face revealed annoyance, and I couldn't say anything in response. I felt like a little kid being punished by his parents. He was the one speaking, nonetheless.

"Just because we are committed now, it doesn't mean _certain_ things are changed." His subtle reference to those "_certain things_" didn't miss me.

"That's not what I meant." I said, trying to explain myself, but obviously failing completely.

"What did you mean, then?" His tone was now, genuinely puzzled.

"I meant… I don't want to rush things."

There. Direct, as well. Straight to the point.

"Why would we rush things?"

"I just wanted to be sure."

There was an uncomfortable silence after my words came out my mouth. I could tell he was thinking. I could tell his eyes searched for mine, trying to catch the real reason behind my worry. Finally, he spoke.

"Do you trust me?"

_Oh_.

"I do." I said, almost automatically.

"Then…" He said, while he approached me slowly, until we were mere inches apart. "… don't worry over _that_."

"Okay." I managed to say, maybe a little too much excited by his closeness.

"Wait up for me."

And these were his last words, while he left the bedroom.

-/-

Eventually, I prepared to go to sleep.

I had developed this habit of sleeping only with my underwear – not only because it was comfortable, but also because his bedroom was really warm. If I wore anything else besides bra and panties I would certainly sweat like I had a fever or something. And I had his presence next to me, which was a plus: he warmed me as well, although we rarely touched when we were in bed. But, truth is, he seemed to exhale warmth to a point that I wasn't – ever – cold beneath the sheets we shared.

However now, things were different. Now, we were… well, something more. Something more that implied contact; something more that implied affection; something more that implied… intimacy.

And although he was gorgeous and hot like a mythical deity, he had also a difficult personality. That was why – sometimes – I didn't know what to think or what to do in certain circumstances. Namely, this one: _Going to bed_.

Well, he asked me to wait up for him. I guess I would. We were newly-committed, after all.

So, after I was done in the bathroom, I resumed to the bed. With my black and white underwear with slight resemblances with a bikini, I laid down with my belly up and I waited up for him.

And waited.

But my eyelids betrayed me several times. I had the impression I had fallen asleep intermittently, but my constant awareness didn't let me sleep profoundly.

Eventually, my eyes popped open when I sensed the bed moving, right next to my left side.

It had got to be him. I moved my head, to face him - but I found an upper chest wall, instead.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep." I mumbled, my forehead resting just below the crook of his neck. "It's late…" I said, not really knowing the exact time.

"A little, yes. I did get carried away during my practice." He justified, his voice neutral, as always.

"It's okay…" I said, repositioning my face, which touched his chest now completely. My nose was almost collapsed and I was able to discern how nicely he smelled. He had showered, and I didn't even notice.

He didn't answer me in return. I only felt his arms and hands around me, pushing my body to meet his and entangle me in between his form.

Oh, God, this was really heaven.

I wanted to hold him as well but I really couldn't, because we were side to side, facing each other and all I could do was caressing his chest with my hand and well, my face. For Christ's sake, his body seemed to be carved out of the most smooth, fine granite.

He seemed to enjoy that a lot, judging by his next action.

Suddenly, one of his hands met my cheek, my face, my neck. I felt his chin resting in my head, but his breathing, now a little altered, delated him.

Before I could blink, my face was completely up, and his nose was touching mine, his eyes meeting mine, informing me that… he wanted – very badly – to kiss me. It was strange, how his eyes were able to communicate with mine, but truth was – he could. Or then, I knew him too well by now.

And then, it was pure bliss. His mouth found mine and I abandoned myself to my luck. His lips were ardent, his tongue avid for mine.

I couldn't recall when, exactly, we stopped kissing. I couldn't remember when his grip softened, or when my arms let go of his neck, my fingers roamed along his face, hair, and the details of his adorable mouth.

All I could recall was feeling extremely happy, a sensation so long gone from my life.

-/-

I woke up at least two times that night. Once, it was still dark. The other, the sun had made its appearance already.

The reason for that was simply because I wasn't used to sleep cuddled with someone. I had lost the habit for so many years and the safety of a lonely bed won over eventually.

It was the feeling of his hand in my abdomen, while I felt the rhythm of his even breathing in my back, his chest close to me.

All simple things, but so overwhelming.

When I finally woke up, he wasn't next to me. The bed felt extremely vacant and cold. The first thought in my mind went to where he would be now. I didn't have much time to think about it, because I heard noise coming from the kitchen.

He was at home.

And my face instantaneously lit up with a huge smile.

I jumped out of bed and I made my way to the kitchen. When I reached the door, I was rewarded with the most striking image of the General. He was next to the kitchen counter, wearing only with his boxer shorts, bare feet, his hair dancing to the soft icy breeze that came from the window-door that led to the porch.

"Hey." I said, feeling my voice failing. It was difficult to be coherent with such a view in front of me.

"Good morning." He said, looking in my direction, searching immediately for my eyes. This was a man with intense eye-contact need, I could tell. "What is it?"

_Oh-uh_. What should I answer to that? _You're too gorgeous for me to say a word_? Nah, no way.

"Nothing." I managed to say, my voice giving up my anxiety. Well, he didn't seem too convinced with my answer.

"Indeed."

_Oh, cold tone, General_. There was no way I was going to let my infantile embarrassment ruin the moment.

"I am…" Okay, the lack of words wasn't helping. "… uh…"

_Uh. Help_.

"Anxious?" He suggested, now facing me completely. His hands were no longer busy with the ingredients on the kitchen counter, but he had his arms crossed instead. And he was looking at me. Very intensely. Crippling. Yep, a little bit.

"No, no." I said, trying to save the moment.

"Hardly." He answered, as quickly as before. He was teasing me, I could feel it.

"I feel silly, really." I admitted, avoiding his stare. My gaze traveled elsewhere, to any place where I could concentrate to verbalize what I was feeling.

He didn't say anything. He just stood there… waiting. Oh, come on, I had to say something.

"I'm glad you…" _Come on, you can do it. Say it_. "You're here." I finally managed to say, searching for his eyes. Although I felt slightly apprehensive with my little outburst, I was rewarded with the most expressive stare ever.

My feeble words meant so much. My childish embarrassment was a sign of how difficult it was for me to express myself, especially to a man like him.

"So am I." He said, some moments after.

I almost melted with the tone of his voice, with the fierceness of his stare. Suddenly but slowly, he approached me, until we were close enough. His hand reached my own. And, without thinking, I let my face rest on his chest and I let myself drift to the sound of his beating heart.

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**A/N – Okay, things are officially warming up guys. So, just a little question: A little more of foreplay or… not?**

**It's up to you. I'm willing to make the tension grow a little bit more if you want to. Or not. :D**

**Review and let me know! Your opinion is priceless! (As always)**


	36. Review&Commenting Policy

**Okay, I figured it would be better to sort some things out concerning the reviews.**

**As most of all know, I like to receive reviews and I also answer to those reviews, when it's possible – I mean, if someone isn't a member, well I cannot give you any feedback, even if I wanted. **

**I am aware that reviews are like critiques, and I accept them both – constructive and destructive, as long as the ones reviewing explain to me the why's and how's. Since I've started posting "Dreamcatcher" chapters, I've had a nice feedback, most of the readers seemed to enjoy the plot, some more than others, but if there's an opinion out there concerning the dislike of story or whatever it is on it and wants to share that with everybody, it's perfectly fine. I understand that a story cannot please every and single person. **

**So, from now on, I ask you guys, if you want to review or make a comment – no matter the nature – please, identify yourselves (I know, most of you – 99% - are identified). I mean, at least I can answer you at the A/N section in the next chapter.**

**I like interaction with the readers, and several times we shared opinions and I changed parts and bits of the story because of that. **

**So, in conclusion, what I would like to say to all of you (who review and don't) is that you can actually speak your guts out about everything that you like and don't like in the story, but please be more specific and explain your reasons. **

**I don't hold any grudges on those who dislike my stories – as I said, it's an opinion as valid as any other.**

**I am really sorry to bring this issue up but I would really like to avoid uncomfortable situations in the future. **

**So, thank you for reading this and… well, sorry if you thought this was a new chapter :P but I'm on it already (it's all I can promise right now lol).**

**See you soon, my dear readers***

**:D**

**Greetings.**

* * *

**The author: A Glimpse of Ethereal Blue. **


	37. Chapter 33

_**A/N – Okay. So first of all, I'm really sorry for those I mislead the last chapter LOL but hey, you have this one to compensate! Now that the Review Policy is defined, I won't make any comments on that anymore.**_

_**Second: my sincere thanks to all of you who review avidly every chapter, I really appreciate your opinion and sharing your thoughts with me. :D To all of you, my sincere THANK YOU.**_

_**Well, about this chapter: to be honest, I thought of writing something before this one but then I realized it made no sense to postpone the inevitable. So I adjusted the beginning, and there you have it. I wrote this chapter in July, and it took me a lot of time. I put a considerable effort on it because I wanted to make it EPIC (lol). You guys then let me know if I made it or not.**_

_**So, enjoy and leave your comment :D**_

_**Disclaimer: As always.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 33.**_

* * *

I had to admit I was somehow apprehensive with tonight.

Not that I felt afraid or something, but there had been something about his kisses lately that gave me the impression he wanted more from me. His urgency, his movements and particularly, his discreet jagged breathing while we kissed.

Two days had passed since our… well, I didn't know how to actually name it, but I supposed we were _something_ now. Judging by the way we were close before and during sleep, when he arrived from his daily activities… it would easily drive any regular woman crazy. And I considered myself a very regular woman.

Today, he arrived after dark and I busied myself with things to do in the house. I checked the hours multiple times. The time to go to sleep was arriving.

The time to go to bed. _His_ bed.

It had been two weeks since my bed had remained unused. Since the day I almost died out there, I had been sleeping next to him. To be honest I was somehow used to it. He was a silent, calm company in the mattress. He almost didn't move when he was sleeping, giving the impression of being held in a profound, deep sleep. Yeah, right. If I did move a little, or tossed in my sleep, he instantly turned to check on me, to see if I was in pain or something, or to simply confirm that I was sleeping after all.

Since that fatidic day, his worries concerning my well-being have been tremendous.

However there were things about him that would never change. His quietness, for instance. Even now, that we were sharing so much more than words, exchanging affection with each other, he wasn't a man of much talking. He did say the essential, the necessary. And that was it. He did communicate a lot with his eyes. His stare always spoke much more than his mouth. But, even so, his tendency to conceal his own true feelings from me always won. I guess that was something he was used to do to protect himself. Something he was so used to do back in his general days, and he eventually forgot how to revert the process.

It was ten p.m. and I was done already, not knowing what to do next to occupy my mind. He was already in the bedroom, I could hear him wandering around.

Well this was somehow ridiculous… I wasn't supposed to be nervous just because I was going to lay down next to him. I have been doing so in the last two weeks and he never forced himself on me… so, what would be different today? Nothing, of course.

_Everything will be fine_, I thought, tranquilizing myself.

I went to my bedroom to change. I put my pajamas on and walked to his bedroom, knocking faintly at the door, which was half-open.

"May I?" I said, peeking inside the bedroom. He was standing next to the window, with his back to me, with nothing more but a pair of black boxer shorts on. As usual, he looked gorgeous. Like a freaking Greek statue brought to life.

He looked at me over his shoulder and scrutinized my form. Okay, I didn't get why that was, but the power of his eyes made me blush a little.

"Certainly." He said, turning completely in my direction and walking towards me. I entered his bedroom and made my way to the side of the bed I used to occupy.

I saw him reach the bedroom door and close it silently.

After that he went to bed as well. Once he was between the sheets, I was already laid down, turned to him, looking at the volume the sheets and blankets made during his movements. He finally settled for resting with his belly up, his hands on his own abdomen.

Everything was quiet for a minute or so, only our own breathing audible.

Definitely, there was too much tension in the air. Between us, to be precise. And… I didn't know quite well why.

Suddenly, everything changed. The bed shifted and I felt his chest touch my hands and then, my face. His arms enveloped me and his chin rested in the top of my head, while the index of his right hand drew irregular patterns all over my arm and forearm. It was impossible not to shudder involuntarily, as a response to his actions.

I let my face rest against him, my nose and cheek caressing the soft skin that remained there. He smelled wonderfully, as usual. It drove my senses crazy. My hands also relaxed on the tight muscles of his thorax, not daring to move.

I felt genuinely in paradise, when he held me like this. It was like I was somehow trapped in some ethereal world where we belong to each other, utterly, deeply.

Nonetheless, it was the resonance of his voice that woke me up from my heavenly reverie.

"Why did you put your night clothes on?"

My eyes bugged at his sudden question. I fell silent for a moment, not knowing what to answer to him. I had no concrete justification to offer him.

"Well… I…"

"I miss the feeling of your skin on mine." He whispered, to my ears only. I felt my heartbeat rising and my breathing peaking up automatically. I was certain I was blushing terribly by now, given the heat I felt spreading to my cheeks.

I applied some pressure with my hands in his chest, trying to create some distance between us. I needed to look at him in the eye, and – at least try to justify myself. It wasn't like I was being timid or something. Or maybe I was.

"I know I've been sleeping only with my underwear lately but-"

"Take it off." He said abruptly, interrupting me. He bore his stare on mine, hard, but not demanding. Again, it was not an order, it was only a very subtle request.

My mouth opened slightly in surprise. Taking my nightclothes _off_?

_But that will leave me only with my panties on_…, I thought immediately. I felt kind of trapped, literally, in between his hold, his request, his eyes on mine and my lack of response.

We remained like this for… no more than two seconds.

Out of the blue, he positioned himself above me, squeezing me teasingly against the mattress and the cold, black cotton that now made contact with my back. His eyes never left mine while he did it. Nor when his face approached mine and closed what remained of distance between us. His mouth found mine and I felt completely melted within him when his lips met my own, when his tongue searched avidly for mine. The sensation was always as intense as the first kiss we had shared. The fervor he disclosed when his hand searched for the skin beneath my clothing made me tremble with anticipation. His hand roamed languidly around my abdomen, not reaching purposely my breasts and making its way to my lower back.

My breathing sounded uneven when his mouth ceased its exploring, his face hovering over mine, while his eyes searched my own. In the moment our eyes met, I found in it… desire. Intense, pure longing.

In that moment, I blinked nervously, silently, at him.

"Why are you afraid of me?" He asked, his tone slightly curious.

"I'm not afraid of you." I declared, knowing that it wasn't a complete truth.

"You're trembling."

Okay now he had gotten me with that one. I was trembling, and I didn't even realize my body was reacting that way.

"I-I'm just… nervous, I-" I wanted to justify myself, but he cut my feeble speech.

"I am not going to hurt you."

His tone was filled with tenderness, and an extraordinary wave of assurance flowed from him to me.

"I know." I said, more like a whisper. "I-I know, it's just that…"

And then again the words had run out. It was dreadful for me having to admit that I was fearful of having sex with someone because my previous experiences had been traumatic. It was something very personal, something that hurt my soul immensely, a constant fear that haunted me. Something I thought I wouldn't be capable of put behind my back for good.

However, the man that held me in his arms let out words I've never thought he would, eventually.

"I know you've been through a lot. I understand you feel anxious."

Oh my God, he did read me very accurately.

"Yes. I do feel anxious with… the perspective of…"

And there it was again, that incapability of saying the words. Out of nothing, I had confessed my fears to him, and he seemed pretty at ease with those. I wondered, vaguely, if he didn't fear anything at all in this world, if he never had felt uncertainty overwhelm his personal world, even for once.

"Relax, Sora." He whispered, now with his mouth next to my right ear.

I wanted to relax, as he told me. My mind wanted to, but my body had a mind of its own. There was this residual fearful shuddering and a vaguely irregular breathing coming out of my nostrils.

"I promise I won't hurt you." He said, as his lips stroked the fine skin of my neck, and his fine hair chaotically fell all over my chest, still covered with my nightclothes.

I blinked several times, processing his words. And I decided to let my body in control from now.

"I believe you." I declared, as I searched his face. I wanted to look at him, in his eyes and show him I was telling the truth. I did believe him. I did want him. I did… love him.

His face was leveled with mine, as he rearranged himself above me. Now, we were facing each other, but slightly side to side. His right hand travelled to my face, caressing my cheek and lips, before our mouths rejoined once more. Again he kissed me fiercely, his hand travelling through my neck, my chest, until he reached the hem of my shirt. I felt the need in his touch, as he whispered against my mouth:

"Then show me."

Suddenly I felt a powerful urge of grabbing him, of kissing him passionately and to press myself against him, as if it was possible to merge my form with his own, to fuse our cells together in one.

I felt prepared. I felt … at ease. Or so I thought.

Kissing softly an imaginary line on his cheek, jaw and ear lobe, I let my hands travel down to meet his hand – the one that was resting in the edge of my nightshirt - and I pulled it up. He assisted me with the process and, in less than a second, I remained bare naked from my waist up. Immediately, I threw my arms around him, hiding myself from his stare and resting my face against his chest, as well. My nose almost touched the place where his neck began, and I felt the warm tingle of his skin against me, tantalizing the sensitive skin of my breasts. I breathed in and out loudly, trying to control my impulses, my anxiety, but I didn't have much time to think about anything else, because promptly I sensed his hands in my waist, my hips, pulling down my night pants… and underwear along with it.

Suddenly I felt extremely exposed. He had unclothed me with such rapidity that I couldn't process what was happening at the same speed. I felt a sudden wave of heat invading my cheeks as I realized he was already bare naked as well, his warm, firm body pressed against my own, his whole shape underneath the sheets leaving little to imagination.

I was still grabbing him, my hands touching his back, my arms placed beneath his arms, my breathing ragged. Okay, I had to admit it… I was petrified of this. Of _doing_ this… with _him_.

_Oh my God, I must be insane_…, my mind whispered.

However he didn't let my mind wonder anymore. His right hand traveled to my face, taking hold of me and he pulled me to him, our eyes meeting once more.

"Your skin speaks to me…" He whispered, before his lips found my own again, renewing a heated kiss. My mind felt hazy with such passion. All that surrounded me conducted me to a sweet oblivion. His smell, his need, his touch, his strange words… tempted my body to respond to his, as his mouth and lips traveled now along my neck, eliciting sounds from my mouth that, most likely, fed his craving as well. His hands explored every curve of my body, slowly, as a blind man read Braille with fierce devotion.

Out of nothing, I felt him reposition himself, my legs giving in to the pressure he was applying.

I tried to make myself comfortable, letting him rest in between myself, as he bit slightly my left earlobe, whispering soft words at me:

"Give yourself to me, Sora."

I let out a ragged breath in response. It was a blunt yes, although I wasn't able of saying anything by now. All I could feel was his form, his length against me, prepared to enter me.

Suddenly he placed one of his hands behind my neck and the other one went to my lower back; in a swift movement, he angled my pelvis to meet his own and my trembling legs didn't have other choice but to rest at both sides of his waist.

I felt him hard, prepared, ingurgitated and, lost in thinking, I searched for his eyes. I wanted to find a soothing, calming stare in there. I wanted…

His mouth found mine once more, as I felt him move softly, stroking teasingly my tender, lower areas, drawing out soft moans from my throat and nose, as his mouth explored mine. By now I had one of my hands on his chest, while the other rested around his neck as well, caressing the skin and the long hair that seemed to enclose us like a gray curtain.

Slowly, he applied pressure in my center. Softly, unhurriedly, he moved forward, easing his way inside me, my compliance inviting him to do so as he now tasted the skin of my throat with his tongue, leaving a burning, moist path behind.

As he deepened his own length into me, there was a sudden feeling of unease that startled me. An acute, sharp pain did make me stiffen beneath him.

"Easy…" I murmured, my breathing hard, while I rested defensively one of my hands on his marbled abdomen, a sign that his recent movement had hurt me a little.

That lingering pain was a terrible mood destroyer, but I refused to let it erase the fire between us. I knew why I felt pain – it was the lack of activity for so many years. My celibacy option since I had run away was now taking its toll.

"You don't imagine how difficult it is for me to restrain myself from moving." He said, half-whimpering. His breathing was also uneven, and I realized how hard and punishing this slowness was, to him, as well.

However, he was not the only one with desire burning inside.

A few seconds later, the pain finally subsided and I moved slightly underneath him, giving him sign to proceed. It was almost automatic.

He pushed onward and, finally, we were joined completely, the sensation eliciting from both of us several uncontrolled gasps.

And then, he started moving. A specific, involuntary motion that set my insides on fire, awakening lost sensations from me.

The feeling was unbelievable, each stroke inducing more power and delight than the last one. His grasp on me was almost painful. His uneven breath, hot on my skin, next to my ear, hid nothing. My hand roamed along his upper back, caressing his neck and head, entangling my fingers in the softness of his hair, while I rested my face in his neck, next to the frontier of his shoulder, my lips touching occasionally the fine surface of his skin.

The way he moved, the purposed changes of rhythm he experienced was too much for me to handle. I couldn't stay quiet, I couldn't stay in silence.

My free hand searched for his back, as lower as I could reach, and I took hold of him. I moved as well, meeting his thrusts and moving in accord, against, the way I considered best to give him a good perspective of what I was feeling as well. His response did surprise me.

"God, Sora…" He breathed, with his face close to mine, as if he was completely out of air. Well I was breathless shamelessly by now, uncontrolled moans escaping my lips more than once, as he plunged inside me, each time more intoxicating than the last one.

The feeling of him inside me was something indescribable. It was not only how he moved, it was also his touch, the constant friction against me, inside and outside, driving my senses mad, contributing to the gathering of a discreet pressure inside my lower abdomen, that I felt gradually building as we moved in consonance, as we moved as one, giving ourselves to each other.

We remained like this for what it seemed like forever, as we were trapped in a parallel dimension, where there was no flow of time… only us.

Suddenly one of his hands traveled to my hips. His touch felt like ablaze in the damp surface of my skin, and I was feeling the unbearable, yet extremely delightful pool of pressure growing, increasing its intensity, leading me to widen my legs even more, an attempt to give him more access, for him to reach deeper those areas that drew out so many moans from my lips. I was close, dangerously close to my release, I could predict it.

And he somehow felt it too. He captured my attempt of having more of him – and he fastened his rhythm. Not excessively rough, but fast and purposely deep enough to throw me over the edge. I had never felt such intensity, such spots inside me being touched... and teased.

My hands grasped him tighter, my body revealing urgency for him, for everything he was giving to me, my face leveled up with his jaw, my back slightly arching, and I couldn't help but to whimper loudly against his skin, my mouth half-open, as if I needed it to breathe or something.

Several times my voice was heard, once throughout my nose, other time a murmur against his skin, and then, when I thought I wasn't going to stand that much pressure building inside me anymore… my limbs quaked, my voice, ragged, almost painful, was audible, against his skin, his tantalizing taste, and the feeling of my own inner muscles spasming, constricting against him, enveloping, caressing his length that remained inside me, still moving, still pushing. I was completely out of breath, panting, closing reflexively my eyes as my body still danced beneath him, still constricting occasionally around him, pushing him, now, over the edge.

"I felt you…" He suddenly whispered, with such tenderness and surprise in his own voice, that it sounded to me more like a blunt, urgent declaration of everlasting love.

And then, it was his turn. His pushes got more demanding, barely rougher than before and, finally, I felt him let loose inside me.

He was panting, releasing a sudden groan close to my face, next to my right ear and cheek.

His movements gradually subsided, unhurriedly, until he stopped completely. His mouth, half-open, rested in my cheek, and I felt how his breathing now was steadying. His hands slowly traveled to my hips, giving him space to disengage from me calmly, his stare locked on mine the whole time. His eyes shone, however in his face remained that typical neutrality of him, not allowing me to perceive what he was thinking.

Letting out muffled whimpers while he removed himself from me, I saw him silently return to his side of the bed, resting with his chest up, staring at the ceiling, contemplating something I couldn't perceive what it was.

I felt a shiver the moment his skin left mine. And I felt that terrible sensation of _discard_ as he remained there, next to me in the bed, without even looking at me, without even saying a word, anything at all, longer than I expected.

I covered myself with the sheet and blankets and, drowned in the silence that surrounded us, I turned, with my back to him, concluding he didn't want to talk about it. Sometimes, his careless attitudes hurt me more than a punch in the face.

I cuddled myself, closing my eyes and breathed in and out deeply, trying to convince myself that, most likely, this was his way of dealing with the situation. He wasn't a man of many affections – he had never been. So, I couldn't simply expect that he would behave romantically after sex. He had told me he had to learn to manage a relationship, because he had never been in one - truly. Well maybe all this was part of the learning process. I had to believe so.

To my surprise, I felt the bed shift. My eyes opened automatically and I felt a body approaching mine. A man's huge form, naked._ Him_.

His arms surrounded me and I felt all of him resting against me, his face searching mine while he removed my own hair of the way, so he could properly see my face, even from behind.

His mouth found my left hear as one of his arms searched for my hand, his hand finding mine and, to my surprise, entangling his fingers with my own.

"I like you, Sora."

My heart almost stopped after he said those words. My eyes were wide open, my mind appalled with such confession. If he knew the amount of times I had asked him mentally that very question, never daring to verbalize it; if he knew the stupid amount of times I doubted he would eventually like me… if he only knew how, deep down inside my mind, I wished he cared for me, since… since…

I couldn't resist it. I turned to face him.

I searched his eyes and all I was able to say was:

"Do you mean it?" My voice was feeble, still not believing his previous words.

"Yes." He said, his stare locked in mine, hiding nothing behind those depths. He was telling me the truth.

I breathed in loudly and my hand searched for his face. His fair face, his perfect complexion, his tempting skin… had led me to lost myself in him. I was completely out of words.

"I…"

He kept his stare on mine, waiting. After all, this was supposed to be a two-sided relationship. He had confessed himself to me… and he obviously expected me to do the same… even if he knew the answer already. He had always known the answer.

My face angled up to approach his and I let my cheek rest close to his neck. And next to his Adam's apple, I let my fragile speech come out.

"And I… like you…" I started, hesitating, "… more than you can ever imagine…" I completed, whispering soft words against his skin.

And, as a response, I could only feel the hard grasp of his arms on me, holding me tight, while his face searched mine again, his lips avid for the taste of my mouth.

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**A/N – Well… I don't think there's much to say at this moment. At least I am pretty speechless around here. :P **

**Review, please. Your opinion is essential**!


	38. Chapter 34

_**A/N – Hey, so sorry for taking so much time updating… but real life abducted me and I couldn't really escape from it :P **__**And I needed inspiration to write this, as you will figure out after. These are moments that need the right amount of muse. Okay so I must THANK sincerely to all of you who reviewed, I was quite happy with your opinions and I can't wait to hear more from you guys. As you all know, your opinion is very important to me :D**_

_**And, of course I would like to thank those who added me to the fav's, which kept me really motivated throughout these days I've been terribly busy and couldn't write a damn thing because I didn't have TIME. Yeah, it sucks. **_

_**Okay there you have it. Hope you like it. **_

_**Disclaimer: As always.**_

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_**Chapter 34.**_

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**Shephiroth's POV**

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I woke up just before dawn.

Honestly, I couldn't really grasp how, if I had slept only a few hours. I was somehow used to sleep deprival, but this time even I had to admit that I was supposed to be tired. Physically, I meant.

Reflexively, I turned my face in her direction. Not that I needed to do that to know that she was _there_. My body felt her before my eyes. She slept, peacefully, next to me. I felt the soft skin of her back, her bottom, her legs and feet, moving automatically each time she breathed in and out. _In and out. In and out_.

Her long, straight, smooth dark hair tickled me. Her face resting against the soft fabric of the pillow, where her right hand rested as well. Half-closed, close to her face, her nose. Her mouth, half-open, breathing so evenly.

_Unlike last night_…

The memory of our recent contact and… passionate activities made me shiver. It felt good – oddly, if felt extremely gratifying having her. Making her mine. The compliance of her body, the desire imprinted in every whimper, the way we were in consonance… it was something, awkwardly, new to me. More than new, it was unknown to me. It was hard to admit that. It was difficult, for a man like me, to acknowledge that a simple woman had the capacity of awakening emotions inside me. I guess… that I would keep that information to myself. I couldn't tell her that. I couldn't tell anybody that.

_I can't transpire such weakness. I mustn't_.

Suddenly, I left the bed. She didn't realize my absence. Of course she wouldn't. She was tired, and I knew it very well. I had been close to pushing her limits last night. After our first time together, I was far from satisfied. So, I took her again. And again. And again. And every time, it felt as amazing as the first time; every time, she responded to me as voraciously as before; every and each time, I felt like I could lost myself in the depth of those brown eyes, because every time, our longing would, eventually, coalesce and intertwine, like clouds of dust mingling randomly.

I knew I had been, somehow, selfish… but I wanted her really bad. I had wanted her for some time now, since I had kissed her that first time when we argued… then, when I almost lost her out there in the woods and the inevitable contact that followed… made _something_ grow inside me. Something raw, pure and insatiable. The rational part of my mind had been keeping me controlled and cautious… until last night.

She felt it, as well as I did, that something was about to happen, that the moment had arrived. _Like it was meant to be_.

Each time her naked body contacted with mine, there was no possibility of turning back. In that moment, something had been ignited inside me, both my body and soul. Like a simple switch, that illuminates a room eternally confined to darkness.

Gently, I covered her body with the thick blanket that adorned my… our bed. She didn't flinch an inch. My little Sora, so desirable, so innocent.

I stared at her, for a while. I didn't know what to think. I didn't know _how_ to name this.

All I knew was that it felt comfortable.

All I knew was that I liked it here, with her. I liked it, this way, only the two of us, in the middle of nowhere, as if the real world didn't really exist out there.

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**Sora's POV**

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Luminosity and a powerful soreness all over my body woke me up.

For a second, I wondered if I would be able to move – at all. But - of course - that I could move perfectly. Slowly, I turned to face an empty bed.

I took some time realizing what had happened last night. My initial apprehension, my silly embarrassment, that amazing sensation of him… and me… together.

My naked body, covered and cozy underneath the sheets and heavy blanket, missed his presence… maybe too fast for my benefit.

I wished I didn't depend on him this much – it wasn't healthy. He was so… independent and I… was always wishing for him to be home, to be next to me… and I was willing to bet that, after this night, things were going to get different. Different, because now there were no secrets between us. There were no barriers now, no frontiers between me and him. Now, we were… whole.

And that frightened me as much it overwhelmed me. After all, he was _The_ General. After all, he was the man the world hated and feared, a killer of many, a nightmare come true. And yet, to me, he had become… everything. I had grown shamelessly reliant on him, on his scarce affections, on his… powerful demonstrations of… love?

_Was this love_?

This yearning, this desire he imprinted on me, this extraordinary capacity of showing affection towards someone else…

This man, how could a man like him, with his background, be this… fervent?

How could his hands be so tender… hands that only knew how to kill, decapitate, destroy?

How could his mouth provide gentle words… a mouth that only knew how to insult, depreciate, concocting dialogues imbibed with hateful words?

I had learnt to love what he had become.

I had learnt to admire and see those parts of him that he tried so hard to conceal.

Now, with my fingers touching the sensitive skin of my lips, I smiled to myself, remembering last night.

He had been so marvelously... insatiable. He had pushed my limits, that was for sure… I wasn't particularly used to those… marathons?

But, how could I say no to him, if I wanted him as badly as he wanted me?

No, saying no wasn't a viable option.

Saying yes, was.

Saying… a breathless, warned out, yes.

Smiling blatantly, all alone in the house, I got up. I put my pajamas on – which were scattered on the floor of his bedroom – and I had my breakfast next to the window-door of the kitchen, the one that led to the porch, the one he usually used to enter the house.

The day was bright and sunny. Or maybe, it was just me and the happiness I felt inside that was contagious, infecting the day with luminosity and a beautiful clear blue sky.

After some time dozing off in the kitchen, I decided that – maybe – I should shower. The clock showed 11 a.m. I guess he would take his time getting home.

I was wrong.

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**Sephiroth's POV**

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I heard the shower and the fruity smell of peaches invading my nostrils, as I closed the door behind me.

I was early – for a change.

Slowly, I walked towards my bedroom. I knew she was there. She was _still_ there, my mind corrected. I wondered… what would she do, when she'd see me, after last night? Would she blush? Would I hear how her heart peaked at the very sight of me? Would I see in her eyes the expectation, that anticipated shudder, when our stare locked?

Her reactions fueled my desire in a way she could not possibly imagine.

When I reached the bedroom I let myself rest against the doorframe. And, patiently, I waited. I waited for her to exit the shower, to wrap herself in that fluffy towel and leave the bathroom… and find me. Waiting for her, like a specter, like a psycho, like a pervert.

But… what could I do?

She was my reason to come home now. She was my anchor to a humanly life. She was my salvation from the nightmare that was my previous living.

Her slender form, dripping wet, enticing my senses, didn't notice my presence. At least, she didn't see me... for the first two seconds I stood there.

With her back to me and her feeble left hand grabbing the towel to prevent it from dropping, she stood, until she finally turned, and her stare met mine.

"You're here…" She said, startled at first, her tone nostalgic, breathless.

"I'm here…" I quoted, as I slowly walked in her direction. "Did you miss me?" I added, scrutinizing her half-naked form.

She nodded, as I approached her. She couldn't say anything, not even a simple "Yes." Well, that was interesting. My effect on her was simply delicious to watch.

I smiled deviously.

The anticipation she felt was overwhelming. Her heartbeat revealed how anxious she felt. And I, shamelessly, fed on that anxiety. I kind of enjoyed playing with her this way. After all, I had always enjoyed taking command on things. And this… wasn't much different.

I didn't say anything. I just stood there, looking at her, until impatience took hold of my right hand, which rose in her direction until my index finger touched her clavicle. Soft, slippery skin, an automatic reminder of how gentle she felt under my hands and body last night.

Her breathing peaked in that exact moment. Her excitement felt extremely gratifying, her reaction so delightfully compelling me to take her in my arms once again. Her hand, the one that grabbed the towel, trembled, as my finger descended, meeting the edge of the towel, exerting a small pressure for her to… let it go and unwrap herself from that piece of cloth.

The instant that towel met the floor, I was rewarded with her naked figure in front of me. She was so… alluring, so… inciting. Amazing, how different she seemed to me now, even if I had seen her without clothing before. From her natural curves to the shape of her legs, those slight bony prominences here and there… from her clavicle, to her pelvis bones… all her female forms adorned her body harmoniously, providing her with a grace difficult to concoct.

She had both her arms next to her body, eyeing me with obvious embarrassment. Oh, if she only imagined what went through my mind, how devious my thoughts were, the restraint I was applying to myself right now…

Faster than she expected, my arms met her body in a tight embrace, my face meeting her hair, still humid from her shower. I heard her breathe in and out loudly, most likely startled with my sudden action.

Before I knew it, we laid together, her body partially under mine, on the bed still unmade from last night. Before she knew it, my mouth was on hers and I was kissing her passionately once again. I couldn't hold back anymore. All I could sense was her, without clothes, her skin begging for mine through the fiber that covered me, through the clothes that I still had on me.

Supporting myself with my own arms, one at each side of her head, I felt the rushing of her hands on my face, travelling slowly to my neck and then, reaching the first button of my shirt and trying, sloppily, to unbutton it. Her touch felt urgent, inflaming me with need.

However, it was easier said than done, taking someone's clothes off while kissing. I left her mouth for the briefest of seconds, our lips still touching and her quivering hands on my chest, lost in action.

Panting openly onto each other's mouths, my vision half-dazed with the taste of her too recent on me, my speech couldn't be less coherent.

"Let me… I'll do that…" I whispered, while I trapped her bottom lip with my teeth, earning a whimper from her.

_Not good to my control… not good at all_…, my mind alerted.

My hands worked automatically, unbuttoning my shirt, removing that item along with my jacket on the process, and tossing them elsewhere, while her hands seemed to be busy with my belt and trousers. With an unexpected ease, she alleviated me from the pressure of those clothes and I, grinning at her, removed what was left of any piece of tissue on me, to remain bare naked… with her. Above her I remained, eyeing her and trying to understand what she was thinking, the content behind her shining eyes, the meaning hidden within the smoothness of her skin, so tempting, so… craving.

The desire of kissing her was too much for me to handle. My lips found hers quickly and my whole body made contact with hers, brazing heat meeting soothing wet, my hands lost, for I didn't know where to touch her first. If her neck or her face, if her back, if her breasts, if her navel, if her hips and legs… I didn't know.

As our kisses deepened, so did our contact. Smiling softly against her face and cheek, I realized how discreetly her body adjusted beneath me, her legs around my hips and her hands… seemed furious. Last night had provided her with boldness, I could see. All I could sense was her fragile hands, on my chest, on my abdomen, mapping every curve and muscle I possessed, a self-conscious lust personified through her actions. It was very obvious she enjoyed my body. Immensely.

I searched for her eyes once again.

"Do you want me?" I said, half-panting against her right ear. The tension between us and our aching bodies was already too much to bear.

"Oh… yes."

_Oh yes_. Nice answer – a murmured, breathtaking "_oh yes_". I didn't need further confirmation. My body automatically searched for her – for her warmth, for her tenderness, for her slick entrance that couldn't be more prepared for me as it was.

Slowly but eagerly, I entered her. She felt so good, so amazingly pleasant. Her soft moans next to my face fueled my desire in a way she couldn't imagine. In between kisses, heavy breathing and her hands in my scalp and neck, I – we moved in consonance. If there was a thing I enjoyed particularly about her, was her verve during sex. All I had known from other women was passiveness, which had become truly boring after some time.

But not her, not my Sora. She seemed to enjoy _this_ as much as I did, and there was no trace of complaint in her face… not before, not during, and most certainly not after.

For _I-don't-know-how-long_, we made love. Time passed by differently, when I was with her. Panting, trying to concentrate in order to prolong it, but constantly teased by her stimulating tightness, I searched for her eyes, my hands searched for her body, her soft neck, completely exposed to my mouth, arching for the warm contact of my tongue all over it; her fingers, pressing reflexively on my back, her heartbeat racing, her mouth half-open exhaling the most genuine whimpers as she breathed, as she gasped for air, as if the air around us could save her from _me_.

No, there was no way she would be saved from me. _Not now. Not ever_.

This, this was pure blessing… as we moved, this unique burning sensation growing inside me, each time threatening to come out, each time warning me that soon, it would be it.

"Oh… Sora…" I whispered, as I felt the necessity my hips demanded. My hands grabbed her hair, her body, the tantalizing form of her back neck, as my mouth rested next to her forehead, close to her temples. The smell of her hair, that sexy humidity she still had on from her previous shower didn't help my control.

I was so close, I could feel it coming, pronounce of a potent wave of ecstasy. And she wasn't far, too.

Her sweet whimpers became urgent, as if in consonance with me and my thrusts. And then, without further warning, that wave invaded me. It felt like a potent force, threatening to steal conscience and control from me, stealing the air out of my lungs, stealing all the coherence I could eventually have. My breathing came out ragged and my throat let out a grunt… several times, potentiated with the sudden caress her insides were rewarding me with. As her moment of bliss arrived, all I could hear was her perceptible breaths of ecstasy, all I could feel was her hands and fingers strongly clamped to my shoulder and lower back, all I could grasp was how her legs and hips adjusted to my form to make our union complete, to make our contact so intense it ached. And, of course, the priceless, amazing feeling of her – all around me, surrounding that specific part of me.

I truly felt like I couldn't get enough of her.

_Ever_.

-/-

"I should prepare something to eat." She declared, while we laid down, our limbs entangled and her face resting partially against the crook of my neck. The hot tingle of her breath on my skin was giving me ideas. Again. "Or you'll punish me for not feeding you properly." She added, smiling while she said it. I could almost sense the form of her lips on my skin, while her left hand stroked softly my chest.

"Humm, I would like that." My voice was a loud whisper, against her head and her silky hair. However, my tone didn't imply the concept of food itself. Okay, maybe I was feeling too much eager this morning. I had to slow it down a little or she would think I was a ravenous sex machine or something. _Was I_?

"What?" She asked, while she tried to get her head up so that our stares could meet. Her lovely face was adorned with the most sincere smile I've ever seen.

However I was not – really – thinking about food, although lunch time had already passed. By now, it was early afternoon. My stare focused on hers and I let my mind wonder, getting lost in the depths of her brown eyes.

"I would like to… punish you…" I said, while my mouth approached her nose and upper lip, while my hand rested against her face, touching her left ear, her jaw and partially, her upper neck. Her naïveness enticed me, as I searched for the right word to finish the sentence. "…properly."

The true meaning of my words startled her at first, but then, not a second after, I was rewarded with the cutest twist of lips. She seemed a little appalled with my suggestion at first but almost immediately I sensed easiness flowing of her. Among other things.

"My God, you're terrible." She said, laughing. That smile of her, so honest, so genuine, made me truly ache for her. My grasp on her face tightened a bit and she realized she was – somehow –trapped between my physical body and my desire, as if we were two different entities colliding every now and then – truth was, in the last two weeks we seemed to collide and merge constantly.

"Most definitely." I spoke, softly, as my mouth approached hers. A tender, soft contact followed, the most innocent lip contact resumed to a repeating, teasing friction. Her eyes were closed, her body completely melted with mine, as I stroked her hair and wished that I could simply keep on, being like this, with her.

_Until the day ended._

_Until the planet died._

_Until_… I didn't let my mind complete the sentence. I closed my eyes shut and I searched avidly for her touch on me. I tried to avert the unavoidability of the words my unconscient tried to verbalize – and I succeeded. My mouth deepened the contact with her, as my tongue slowly parted her own, licking softly her bottom lip. Her hands traveled to my neck and I felt her face adjusting to mine, allowing us to kiss wholly.

And, just like that, that dark thought simply vanished, leaving only behind a misty, gray fog. It never crossed my mind again. I felt too joyful to even reconsider what had been wandering on the back of my mind just then…

Which had been… _Until something would eventually tear us apart_.

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**A/N – Okay, you know what to do :D REVIEW and make my day. And let's be honest here, our General's unconscient has something going on… I wonder, what will it be? Would they – our recent love birds - be prepared to face it? ;)**


	39. Chapter 35

_**A/N – Okay guys, my apologies for such long interval without updating but, to be honest with you, the nature of these chapters demand from me a high level of inspiration, and I kind of needed to wait until inspiration smacked me and, well …allowed me to create this. I had thought of a totally different content for this chapter but hey… I think, in the end, it turned out great. **_

_**As always, my sincere thank you's to all that review and fav the story, my muse and ego had a consistent booster thanks to all of you guys.**_

_**Okay, enough rambling and… enjoy :D**_

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_**Chapter 35.**_

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_Sora's POV_

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Almost two months - a month and twenty-nine days, to be precise.

This was the time that had passed since our little "talk" that had led to me and him… to engage in something definite. Something that included hot kissing, whispered words and whimpers and, well… daily sex - hardly ever once. Namely, when we got inside that cozy bed of his and cuddle each other, things lead to the inevitable… and, sometimes, I had unexpected visits at awkward hours of the day, a discreet warning that he was hungry.

_Of me_.

Our relationship seemed to work, somehow, to my contentment. He didn't talk as much as I would like to, but… I had to admit that, when he decided to say something, no matter what it was about, it meant a lot – to me, it did.

After our first… and several nights together, as a real couple in real life, I honestly felt like I was married to him. Honestly, I couldn't imagine what marriage would be like… but now, I had to admit I enjoyed the sensation.

Being in this secluded place, with him, away from everybody, finally free of that man that haunted me for so many years… felt like a blessing. It was weird to say it, knowing I had felt so many contradictory emotions in the last 4 months.

Never I had ever imagined that I would be living with The-mighty-dreadful-General, dead to the world, only but a memory for so many… but so incredibly alive to me. It gave me the feeling I had him all to myself. I know, it was selfish and clearly not true at all but… that was how I felt.

I definitely had the feeling that the most cold-blooded, unreachable man on Earth… was _mine_.

Anyway, our period of unofficial marital state had been perfect. We never had arguments. We talked… and kissed and made love like a couple of brainless teenagers. It seemed more like a year. Each day was longer than any average day I had when I was working, back in Neibelheim. And now, that I thought of that part of my life, it seemed to me that it was far, very far… like events taking place in a past life.

My daily life roamed around the moment he got back, the moment my eyes met his, the moment his hand held mine, or his arms enveloped me, his soft breathing next to my ear.

Each moment was priceless.

Each day, a never-ending promise of that amazing routine I had grown so fond of.

Until the day my physiology started to worry me. I hadn't ever worried about my fertility or the eventual probability of me – as a woman - being able of creating… another life. The only man I had ever been with – before the General – had been my ex. And, given his… ways, I always took my precautions to avoid "accidents". The twisted relationship I had had with him had been enough of a car-wreck so… after I ran away, my interest in men had faded. At all levels. So, inevitably, there were things about my body that I had forgotten. My menses, usually regular, didn't worry me.

Until now.

So imbibed I had been with _my_ General that I had completely forgot about it. Not to mention the fact that we didn't use… well,_ safety measures_, while _at it_.

Ever.

After we were together the first time and the week that followed, everything about my body seemed to be working normally, a few days of normal bleeding, just as I was used to. But then, until recently… there had been nothing. No PMS headaches, no typical lower abdomen pain before it, no nothing. Just silence. Just me… and my body as usual, no swelling, no discomfort, no nausea, no nothing.

It took my time admitting it, but - truth was, my period was 2 and a half weeks late. Secretly, after showering, I scrutinized my form from every angle, trying to find something that might give something in.

Any eventuality. A simple, innocent delay. Or a feasible pregnancy.

The last hypothesis scared the hell out of me.

Eventually, my worry started to perspire externally. The last two days had been… well, tense. Several times the General asked me if I was okay, what was worrying me, etc. Cowardly, I had offered him only vague lies, hoping that I could figure out what was going on with me and – constantly – hoping that my body could give me a bloody answer.

But no such thing happened - and promptly I realized I had to talk to him about the issue. Or I would get an ulcer.

Today early, before dawn, he had left bed, saying his goodbyes from my sleepy self with tender kisses and naughty words whispered at my ear, making me laugh with surprise at such early hour.

Later that morning I got up as usual and showered. _I feel fine_…, I thought, trying reflexively to find something different in me, within me, but only to find nothing – at all. Well, except for the growing anxiety I felt. The moment of his arrival was nearing and I… felt truly cornered.

Chopping vegetables next to the dish-washer, the sound of his voice startled me.

"Hey." He said, closing slowly the door behind him, his eyes on me the whole time. I let out a sigh, feeling a little oppressed by his stare.

"Hey." I answered, feeling my voice weakening, giving in my anxiety. If he had any suspicion that I was hiding something from him, now he would be absolutely positive that I actually _was_.

I couldn't stare back muck longer. My eyes left his and I tried to think about the best way to introduce the subject. How should I say _it_? Was I ever going to be able of saying _it_?

Slowly, like a lazy predator, he approached me, his form and his face searching for me. Reflexively I looked at him, only to find him practically glued to my back, while his breathing tickled my scalp and, then, my neck, where he planted a tender kiss. I didn't even realize his arms were already all over me, holding me and that I had left everything fall from my hands – vegetables and knife included. He had this effect on me, so absorbing, so… tempting. My eyes closed while my body dived into him.

His touch distilled… longing. My God, he had been away only for 4 hours. Did he miss me that much?

Well apparently he did.

And his tender attitude gave me the strength I need to begin with.

"Listen, I… uh." _Oh, sweet incapability of expressing myself_…

"Yes?" He answered, his mouth practically on my left ear. I felt tingle all over.

"I'm… kind of worried." I admitted, hoping that I could be able of saying what I had to say to him. This wasn't an easy conversation.

"About what?" His tone sounded slightly skeptical.

Suddenly my heartbeat peaked and I felt coherency abandon me. I had no words, I had no strength, I had no voice.

"Sora…" He insisted, while I sensed him turn me to face him. I was somehow frightened to find his eyes, his terrible ability of reading me… and, the worst of all… I didn't know how he would react if… oh my God, I couldn't even consider it. It was too horrifying.

"My…" I felt words failing me, not looking him in the eye, but focusing on his dark shirt instead. _Okay, don't say it. He'll figure it_. "… is late."

When I spoke, a thick silence followed. I didn't know what to think. I didn't know what he would do.

"So that's the reason you've been acting so strange lately." He finally spoke, his fingers searching for my chin so that our stare could meet. Once my eyes met his, I found in there only… affection. It soothed me immediately.

"I'm just-"

"It's okay." He interrupted me, his hands searching for mine, while we rested against the kitchen counter, my forehead on his chest. "Just relax."

"Sephir-"

"You're not pregnant." His words earned from me a direct eye contact. I had a feeling my surprise had been extremely shocking to him. "You're not."

"How do you know that?" I asked, visibly curious. What, was he clairvoyant?

"Because…" He hesitated, clearly looking for the right words. "…I'm not…" His eyes left mine for moments, and I was starting to get worried. This was serious enough, I was willing to bet. "I'm not fertile."

My mouth half-opened in awe and the General, confronted with my lack of response, continued.

"Jenova's cells inside me didn't bring only advantages."

I took my time processing the information. And it did shock me once more.

"I-I…" I could only stagger at such declaration. "Oh, my God. I am so sorry, I…"

I had no words to offer him. This was grave enough and I… didn't know what to say. What do people say in moments like this besides a truthful and honest "_I'm sorry_"? I had no idea.

"That scientist that supervised me tested my fertility very thoroughly." He declared, eyeing me with a solemn face. "I was born this way. And, part of me is glad that it is so… if I held potential to breed, I do not want to imagine what on Earth he would have done with my stamina." He paused, as if he was remembering something very unpleasant. "Aberrations, I'm sure. Endless experiments that would bring nothing but suffering to those he would test on."

All of the sudden, my mind wasn't focused anymore in my silly worries over my messed up physiology.

"Oh, Sephiroth…" I said, my voice soft, while one of my hands searched for his face. "I don't know what to say…"

"No need to say anything." He declared, his face a little difficult to read. Well maybe he needed reassurance.

"My feelings for you won't change, no matter what." I said, half-smiling and enjoying immensely the sensation of his warm, soft skin beneath my fingers. "Anyway, I was just worried about my… well, eventually it is just a little delayed." I laughed nervously, clearly embarrassed. But hey, I didn't know he was like _that_. I had to wonder. I was a conscientious woman, after all.

"I was starting to question me on when would you bring up the issue." He admitted, smiling a little at me.

"Well… it's just that we… I mean, it looks like we're trying to conceive, giving the frequency that-"

"Indeed." He interrupted me. "But that's not the case." He said, his face approaching mine. "_That_ is not going to happen."

He was referring to getting me pregnant. I didn't know if I felt sad or relieved, or…

"Does it bother you?" he asked, interrupting my line of thinking.

"Not at all." I admitted, realizing that it was exactly how I felt. Knowing that he couldn't impregnate me didn't bother me in the least.

I breathed in and out loudly, clearly relieved, and I focused on the day's meals. Everything was prepared, except for the salad.

"Okay, let's-"

"Not yet."

His interruption sounded weird.

"Seph-"

His mouth silenced me before I could even think or react. Before I knew it his hands were underneath my clothes, hot against my skin. His fingers worked fast on my blouse's buttons, revealing my lacey bra. Breathless against him, my back found the door of the kitchen, while he tried to reach my underwear, underneath the jeans I had on.

Wow, he was in a rush all right.

My hands tried to find what was left of his buttoned shirt and quickly my vision was bathed with his form, bare naked from the waist up.

I felt my body shiver with anticipation.

_Oh, God_.

Screw lunch, screw the salad. I was going to have him right now.

I kicked my jeans off in a blink of an eye and I removed my blouse, remaining only with my underwear on.

His eyes took their time to eye me accurately and, without awkwardness, I reached his trousers and belt and started working on it. If he was surprised with my actions he hid it well. With a low thud, his pants and belt hit the ground, revealing a very sexy pair of shorts.

I had to look at him, mesmerized. He was simply gorgeous.

_For a change_…

"Like what you see?" He said with a wicked smile.

"Oh yeah…"

Maybe my breathless words fueled his hunger, or maybe he enjoyed seeing me half-naked, I wasn't sure. When I least expected, he surprised me and I let out a nervous squeal while I saw the whole kitchen under a different perspective: quickly, he grabbed me and transported me like a potato sack towards his bedroom. All I could see was his lower back and his buttocks, so teasingly firm, while visions of the hallway filled my peripheral vision.

Finally, when he deposited me on his bed, he looked at me fiercely and spoke, standing next to the bed.

"I hope you had a consistent breakfast."

_Oh my God, what is he going to do to me_? "W-Why?" I asked, although I had a pretty good idea of what was going through his mind.

"Because you'll need energy to keep up with me."

I could only gasp in response, a mix of anticipation and desire flowing all over me, while he removed his underwear, remaining completely naked in front of me. And categorically happy to see me.

I couldn't find words to say to him. I was so lost in the vision of him, so beautiful, so handsome, so brutally God-like standing there… that I was only able of staring. Like a hormonal teenager.

He approached me slowly, half-crawling on the bed, towering me. I felt so small, so insignificant. But the promise of him, so appetizing and beautiful moving inside me made my body tremble. The teasing touch of his fingers on my bra, traveling lazily downwards, reaching my navel and then, finally, the soft lace decorating my panties and the warmness beneath the fabric made him hiss.

His eyes met mine. And everything broke loose at once.

Our mouths searched for each other and while our kisses deepened and our breathing became ragged, my arms rested around his neck, as his hands promptly removed my lower garments. After that, a huge hand on my back searched for a way of unfastening my bra.

On the next second, I was beneath him, feeling the bra loose on my upper body.

Biting discreetly his lower lip, I allowed one of my legs to encircle him. Licking teasingly his lips, the other one followed. And then, taking advantage of my own boldness, I moved, rolling us over and positioning myself above him.

_On_ him.

And a very hard appendage touching my genitalia.

Still, my bra was poorly attached to me, my breasts begging for freedom. Quickly, I removed it from myself and shoved it elsewhere.

The vision of him beneath me was something. His eager face, his hair sprawled all over the pillow… his hands, now on my legs and traveling to my hips, slowly guiding our bodies to join, made me moan with excitement.

I angled myself to meet him, while my hands roamed all over his chest, his neck and finally, his face. I half-laid on him so that I could kiss him and, while I did that, I felt how his thick member made its way inside me.

_Softly._

_Teasingly._

_Amazing_.

I left his mouth, as my upper body ceased contact with his and my hips were now completely joined with his, my legs enclosing him fiercely.

The feeling was incredible, and he wasn't even moving properly – and neither was I. This new perspective of intercourse hadn't been totally explored yet. Usually, he was the possessive kind and he clearly liked to dominate.

But today, I wanted to be the one taking command.

Trying to control my breathing, I started moving – a languid, slow but firm movement that elicited the most delicious sounds from him. I felt him whole, touching me and teasing me in such a way that I had no other choice but to put my hands on his abdomen, searching for support, while I refused to cease moving, my hips undulating to the rhythm that my body, reflexively, created.

The way he responded, clearly enjoying what I was doing, pleased me.

Suddenly I sensed him move – his upper body rose and met mine, his arms encircling me while he sit. His mouth searched my face, my ear, where he stopped and whispered teasing words.

"You naughty girl…"

I smiled in response, my arms around his form. My hands searched his hair, his neck, as I sensed him breathing against my chest.

As I moved, I realized his hands shifting place, now resting against my back, allowing to me arch my body even more, to meet him.

But the surprise came when I sensed a hot wetness around my left nipple. Almost instantaneously, an intense wave of energy flowed inside me, adding to the pleasurable sensation I was experiencing already.

"Oh…" I gasped, breathless. Without realizing, I threw my head back, closing my eyes and reflexively squeezed him beneath my hold, my hands, holding his head in place, while his mouth and tongue explored acutely the high sensitive skin of my breasts.

After some moments, the other followed and I was having difficulty to keep a steady rhythm, given the overlapping sensations I felt at the same time.

I breathed audibly, as he ceased his explorations. A hot kiss followed and I lost track of time while at it. I didn't know what I was doing, I didn't know where I was.

However I realized I was losing my pace. Such sky-scraping intense sex didn't allow me to concentrate adequately.

Before I knew it his body shifted under my own and the bedroom spun. He moved forward, pushing me backwards, my back giving in to the pressure, as he positioned himself, now, above me, our bodies never separating, my legs encircling him as before. All of the sudden I felt the cold softness of the bed sheets meeting my back, his eyes never leaving mine.

His face, close to mine, teased my senses while his hands searched for something near my lower pelvis, where my legs began.

"Spread your legs wider for me." He whispered, while I sensed how his hands tried to ease the movement, as I obliged.

Instantaneously, I felt him – more, deeper, huge – and he wasn't even moving yet. I breathed in and out loudly, not knowing I had this flexibility. I didn't think I was able to get like… _this_ in life. Well apparently I was… only, I hadn't been stimulated enough.

With his body touching mine, his mouth against my ear, I could only hear his low voice, with a tone that perspired enjoyment and wickedness.

"I am very hungry. So… don't expect to leave my bed soon."

I felt a shiver running all over my spine and whimpered, as he licked my neck, close to my earlobe. Finally, he added:

"I am going to enjoy very much making you scream for me until exhaustion."

I still had time to think a powerless "_Oh my God_..." before he started moving. His mouth was ravenous, on mine, on me, while I felt him pushing me over the hedge with deliberate movements. Trapping my body with his, one arm beneath my body and the other one keeping one of my legs in place, he showed no mercy.

Faster than I could predict, I felt myself contracting around him, several times in a row, intermittently, over and over again, flashes of powerful sensations invading me and making me scream with pleasure and joy, encouraging him to keep going, his body joined with mine, moving with expertise, as if he knew my body inside out, like the palm of his hand.

And most likely, he did.

I felt completely dominated. I wanted to move, but I couldn't – he didn't let me, he had me trapped, physically and emotionally incapable of being an active partner.

Undoubtedly, he was the one fucking my brains out, today.

And how he excelled at that.

-/-

Later in the afternoon I woke up to an empty bed.

I laid on his bed, completely exhausted. And plenty satisfied. He hadn't lied about his ability of making me scream for him until I was absolutely drained up. Definitely he was damn good keeping up with his word.

Quickly I realized I had no clothes on, beneath the soft sheets and thick blanket. God, he sure was unquenchable. And I loved it.

Getting up slowly from the bed, I realized I felt my hip joints kind of sore. Well, that was absolutely normal, given the verve he seemed to be having lately.

Taking my time to find out where in the bedroom my panties and bra were, I heard noise coming from the kitchen.

He was home.

And, since I couldn't find my clothes anywhere, I figured they must be where I had left them first: abandoned on the kitchen floor.

I left his bedroom wearing only my underwear and I took a shortcut into my bedroom, to find a pajama. In there I found not only my pajamas but also my clothes, the ones I thought would still be in the kitchen floor, on my bedside.

_So cute_…, I thought, smiling to myself while I dressed my pj's, considering I was also very damn hungry. This time, of food.

I made my way to the kitchen and he was there – only with his black shorts on, which favored terribly his anatomy.

"So, you're wake." He said, eying me discreetly while his hands were busy with the food he was arranging on the plate. "I assume you're hungry?"

"I am." I admitted, smiling openly to him.

"Let's eat then." He declared, while the plate ended the eating cycle inside the microwave oven.

I eyed him, mesmerized, lost in him.

How could this be possible? He had become everything to me. He had become the man I had dreamed and ached for so long to find, to build my life with. He made me feel happy, desired and protected. He made me feel whole. He made my chest hurt with joy and elation.

Without saying a word, I walked towards him and I hold him, surprise coming out of his form. Clearly he wasn't expecting such reaction from me.

"What is it?" He said, smiling to my hair.

"I love you." I said, not even realizing I had said it. Actually, if I got to think about it, I hadn't said it to anybody yet. Well, I guess there was a first time for everything in life.

He didn't say anything, as I expected. All I felt was his hands on my back and caressing my hair while my face rested on this hard chest. His even heartbeat soothed me immensely.

"It's okay if you can't say it." I said, truly speaking my soul to him. "I love you anyway."

Suddenly I sensed him shift, one of his hands leaving my back and searching my face. His skilled fingers reached my chin and, before I could react, his lips landed on mine, on a sweet, gentle kiss. My eyes closed, my body levitated, my senses felt completely absorbed by him, his touch, his smell, his tenderness. I loved him with all my heart, for him I felt I would be able to conquest this world and the next one.

The magical moment broke when his face left mine, abruptly, turning quickly towards the window-door leading to the porch. His face held the most serious complexion I had ever seen. His eyes weren't tender anymore, his touch wasn't gentle, all him became the stiff stone of indifference I had already forgotten. I couldn't help myself but to ask him.

"What?"

"Did you hear that?" He asked, not turning his eyes to me.

"Hear what?"

"Shhh." He said, his right hand rising to my eye level, a clear sign for me to be silent. What on Earth was happening? What was he hearing, for Christ's sake?

"Seph-"

"Quiet!" He ordered, his eyes cold, for the first time on mine, the tone of his voice hard and unusually elevated. I never had heard him reacting like this, not even when back in my apartment, or in the reactor, when he looked so affected over… something I didn't know what it was. I felt hurt all over me, seeing him reacting like this, talking to me the way he was. My face must have showed it, but his face, his eyes on mine, didn't show any sign of recognition.

"Can you not hear it?" He asked, half-whispering in my direction, completely imbibed in thought. "A rushing sound, a muffled noise?"

_Oh my God, what is he talking about?_ I felt a pang of despair invading me.

"No…" I murmured, afraid of saying the words. All I could hear was my heartbeat, like a drum, echoing in the heavy silence that surrounded us. Apart from that sound that he claimed to be hearing… and I didn't.

"Someone's outside." He declared, grave and solemn, his green eyes altered with fury.

He left my body and his right hand reached for his sword, silently resting next to the kitchen table. I didn't even realize it was there. All I could do was stare, as he prepared to leave the place with nothing on but underwear and his sword, towards the blistering cold.

"But… wait, don't go outside like that, it's freezing!"

When I finished my sentence, he was already on the wooden porch, his eyes focused on the green wall of trees that surrounded our place. The ice breeze made me shiver, and all I was able to think was how could he stand to be like that, so uptight, so numb, facing the twilight sky and the dark night that was approaching so soon?

"Sephiroth?" I said, my voice failing, unspoken words screaming at him to get inside, to hold me tight and to-

"Stay inside and don't move." He said, not even bothering to look back in my direction, his half-naked form diving in the dark complex of trunks and leaves, a labyrinth made of vegetation where the sparkle of that huge sword of him faded instantly.

And all I could think, with tears threatening to leave my eyes, was when he would come back safely – if he came back at all.

* * *

_**A/N – Okay, now serious shit is happening. **_

_**What do you think? Your opinions are most needed people, please, REVIEW and let me know what you think is going on with our beloved General. Do you think Sora is up to what will eventually follow? **_

_**Let me know :)**_

_**PS – A hint: no, it's not the rabbit. LOL**_


	40. Chapter 36

_**Okay, it took me some time, but the result was good – I think. You have here a huge chapter to compensate for my absence for nearly 2 weeks now. **_

_**I honestly hope you like it. I had a great time writing it :D Part of the reason I took so much time was because I wasn't sure how to follow the line of the story ad got a little lost. But, after a week's break, my imagination peaked again and here's the result.**_

_**As always, my sincere thanks for all of you reviewing, fav'ing and adding the story. Your opinion is most important and keeps my muse working. **_

_**And of course the answers aren't complete – yet. As chapters go by, towards the inevitable end… everything will be clarified. **_

_**Anyway… enjoy* And review with all your will* :D**_

_**Disclaimer: as always.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 36.**_

* * *

**Sora's POV**

* * *

I didn't move from where I stood for a while.

Paralyzed, all I could gaze upon was the dark green outside, turning pitch black as the night engulfed us. Me, the house, everything around me.

I couldn't think about any other thing but him, outside, ice wind blowing. And what about me? What was I supposed to do?

_Stay at home, don't move, don't breathe, just wait up_?

I had lost my appetite. Sadness and worry had invaded me ruthlessly.

_Where are you, General_…?, My despaired mind shouted, muted words leaving my mouth. _Please, come back. Come back_..., my inner voice cried, while I couldn't, on the outside. I couldn't show weakness, I couldn't perspire such fragility.

I was _his_ woman; I had to remain calm and strong. But the love I felt for him turned all those feelings into worry and concern - for him, for whatever was bothering him.

On the other hand, I felt scared. Scared of what was out there, bothering his ears and taking him away from me. Scared - of the effect it had on him, transforming the tender man I loved into…

No, I mustn't think like that.

_It's going to be fine_..., my mind reassured. _He'll find whatever is making that noise and everything will return to what it was_.

Yeah, I wished it would be that way all right.

-/-

Eventually I ate that night, close to midnight. The silence bathing the house was boisterous, hassling me to a level I never imagined. All I could hear was the wind outside, as intermittently as ever and the house seemed now colder. I didn't know if that was just me and the sick way I missed his presence… or not.

During several minutes I stared at his plate with food on, now cold and graceless. Lacking options, I put it inside the fridge, hoping he would eat it – eventually – when he got back.

Two hours later, I went to bed. His bed.

I sat there, half-covered, for a long time. Waiting.

_And Waiting_.

Sometimes a stubborn tear escaped and the knot in my throat seemed to loosen a little. But he didn't show up. Minutes passed by, and I didn't know what to do, what to think.

"Please, come home. Please…" I whispered to myself, staring at the window in his bedroom, hoping to see him. Coming home.

_To me_.

With dark thoughts hunting my mind, finally I fell asleep, giving in to exhaustion – for the second time that day.

* * *

**Sephiroth's POV**

* * *

"Fuck!"

Panting, standing quietly in the air, I didn't know what else to do. I had checked meticulously miles and miles away from the perimeter of the house and I had found nothing.

_Nothing_ at all.

It was frustrating.

Giving in to the cold that seemed to pinch my skin with thousands of needles, giving in to tiredness, frustration and breathing loudly in and out through my nose, I realized I had no other choice but to go home. I flew, dozens of times, my acute sight reaching each and every detail of the lands that remained, still, beneath me.

That sound was different from anything I had ever heard in life. There was nothing compared to it. There was nothing I remembered similar, nothing at all.

And that annoyed me immensely.

This… unacknowledgment of what was out there, provoking me, teasing me… playing games with me and running out my patience… fueled my fury. My anger rose, almost permanent now. I almost felt like screaming – of frustration, of irritation… of uncontrolled rage. But I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't give _it_ that satisfaction.

Whatever _it_ was, man or animal, mutant or monster… _it_ would pay the price for infuriating me. _It_ would pay it 7with _its_ life. And I would gladly remove and torn its essence, even if that was the last thing I would do in life.

-/-

As I landed silently in the porch of the house, I realized at once she was sleeping. I took my time retracting my wing, while the sky now showed a line of clear, shiny blue, a color that anticipated the inevitable sunrise.

As I waited, I examined myself briefly, only to conclude the obvious: my looks were simply disconcerting. Hair disheveled, green and brown mixed with the cold mist that landed the whole night in the area. My grasp hadn't been soft on the vegetation around me, and the steel of my sword hadn't known flesh or blood tonight – only herbal stem and wood, branches and thick sky.

Bare feet made my footsteps silent. With the masamune tightly grasped on my left hand, I was now bathed with a comforting silence. No sounds, no rushing noises.

Whatever… whoever it was, it was gone.

_For now_…, my mind alerted, not allowing me to lower my guard, as I stepped inside the house, making my way through the kitchen door.

Closing the door behind me, I stopped for a while, my senses on alert the whole time. She had been here, she had worried tremendously, she had eaten.

Opening reflexively the refrigerator door, I found the plate with food I had prepared hours ago – our meal, now reduced to one portion. She had cared to the point of saving something for me.

Annoyed, shutting the refrigerator door, all I could think about _what_ or _who_ was creating that stupid, irritating sound, after all.

Could it be a human? What human could be sneaky to the point of escaping my sight, my thorough exploration?

The answer, nonetheless, was simple: No one. There was no one capable of that. There had been no one capable of escaping me - ever.

So… this meant one of two things:

Or I was getting sloppy and my capacities weren't the same anymore – which was insulting, since I felt exactly the same as before, or then… it wasn't a human out there.

Quickly, I tried to think about what could exist out there capable of outrun me just like that. And, yet again, the answer came to me very swiftly.

Jenova.

_She_ was the only creature capable of dominating my will, of taking my life… and giving it back to me, again.

Would it be _Her_, out there? Could it be… _Her_?

The mere thought of my alien mother playing hide-and-seek with me felt as scaring as improbable. And yet, at the same time, it felt so… evident.

"Fuck…" I whispered, facing the kitchen tiles, realizing how unmindful I was behaving. Now, I had a concrete riddle to solve.

A _conundrum_, like that idiotic scientist enjoyed so much calling me, when I was a child.

Sighing heavily, all I could ask myself now was "Why?"

If it was really _Her_, why do this? Mock me this way? Insult her successful progeny with infantile games?

Why not talk to me like _She_ used to?

Why not… appear to me… as _She_ did with the woman sleeping profoundly in my bed?

The absence of answers was excruciating.

The uncertainty of reality was exasperating.

The awkwardness of what was happening was maddening.

* * *

**Sora's POV**

* * *

I woke up to the sound of far, far water.

As I gained conscience, waking up from a deep sleep, I tried to gather myself, last night's events coming at me without warning. My heart leaped at once and the first question on my mind was: _Where is he_?

My eyes processed the scarce luminosity bathing the room, allowing me to conclude that dawn had already arrived.

Faster than I should, I got up, realizing I had slept with my pajamas on – for the first time in months. Looking discreetly to the bed, I became conscious that all the wrinkles had been my doing, which meant… he hadn't slept here – with me – tonight.

And before I could think any longer, the bathroom door suddenly opened, only to meet his form, his stare, his… coldness. He had showered and wore that tiny, minuscule towel below his hip line.

My heart constricted at his neutral complexion at the very sight of me, so different from his tender, warm stare of before, when he eyed me with longing and desire. He didn't even greet me. Not even an uncomplicated "hey", as he used to do so often.

Not even that. And it hurt like hell.

I had to apply a strong hold on myself for not to burst into tears in that exact moment.

"You can go back to sleep." He said, headed to his closet, clearly ignoring my presence.

"I don't feel like to." I said, my voice half-sleepy, half-angry, as I tried, subtly to give him the hint I wasn't enjoying his ways with me.

"Suit yourself." He said, with his back to me, not minding to even look me in the eye. Okay, I was having a bad feeling about this.

Almost without strength to breathe, I managed to say something to him.

"What was it?"

"What was what?" He answered immediately, while he put a new set of boxer shorts on, his long, beautiful hair decorating his large back.

"The noise from yesterday night." I clarified, fighting not to add "…_the noise that freaked you out to infinity_? _The noise that made you treat me like shit… again_?"

"It was nothing." He said, clearly bored. His tone clearly revealed his dislike of being asked about it.

"You didn't find anything?" I insisted on questioning, a little heated - a question I regretted immediately, lamenting at once my poor choice of words.

His stare met mine, swiftly. His face was altered, his eyes angry, imbibed in fury and outrage, a combination I hadn't found in him just yet.

I gulped in response, as he stepped in my direction, like a predator hunting patiently the prey. Like so many times, I felt cornered, trapped, about to be wounded.

"You don't get to indict me like that." He whispered, his tone accusing.

Oh my God, why did he misunderstand everything I said? All I could do was… justify myself? At least, I could try.

"I d-didn't, I-"

"The hell you didn't."

Frighten and hurt eyes met cold, ice gaze. And I was transported immediately to my previous life, with that man that was already dead… and to those terrible moments I lived with the General, right after his awake.

"Why… Why are you being like this with me?" I whispered, despaired. "I was so worried about you…"

"You need not to worry about me." He declared, as if he was ordering someone. "I am taking care of the…"

As I sense him hesitating, I understood at once he was lying. He hadn't found anything, he hadn't deciphered anything and the "noise issue" was far from solved.

"Why don't you tell me the truth?" I dared, taking a step towards him, my voice even and tender. "It's okay if-"

"Stop." He said, not allowing me to continue. _Stubborn_. "Don't try to reach inside me, inside my head. Don't go that way, Sora."

The tone he applied frightened me a little.

"I want to help you, I-"

"I don't need any help!" He said, his voice louder. His face and posture were relentless. "And much less _your_ help. You are of no use to me."

"Oh." I reacted, appalled and hurt with his words. I wasn't expecting that one. "That's nice to know that."

It was inevitable. I had to be ironic, or I would cry – which I refused to do in front of him, the cold-hearted General.

"Not in _this_." He made clear.

Oh he was going to hear it. Oh yes, he was.

"Funny, but you find that I am of use for you to-"

"I don't want you involved in _this_." He interrupted me, not reacting to my words the way I expected. Or he didn't catch the hint or he was categorically ignoring it. No matter what, it hurt a lot – hearing him say that.

"I'm already involved." I said, barely audible. And a knot was forming within my throat. _Oh-uh_. Not good. Not good at all.

"No you're not." He affirmed, his face close to mine, as if he wanted to make sure I was listening to him. "I am the one with the problem here. I am the one figuring it out."

"Fine."

If there was any adjective able to define me in that moment, it would be miserable… dejected. Discarded. Used – like an object. And all my eyes could see was the neutral pattern of the floor, a soft shade of beige, while he stood in front of me… menacing, powerful… cruel. Cruel in a way I had forgotten swiftly - as stupid as that sounded.

"Sora…"

It was him, he was calling my name. Should I look at him? Should I reward him with the hurt I felt – now so obvious – in my eyes?

Before I could decide, his fingers found my chin and our stares locked faster than I would like to. Then, after a couple of seconds, he talked.

"I'm not going to repeat myself again." He paused slightly before continuing, his complexion unbiased as ever. It was almost impressive how he was able to remain calm like he was. "What is happening is not of your concern. It has nothing to do with you. So you will remain apart from this subject and I won't tolerate any more questions, intromissions or remarks of any sort. You do what you are supposed to do here and obey my orders, are we understood?"

My chin would have dropped if he wouldn't be the one grasping it.

_How dare you_?, my mind shouted. _Who do you think you are to talk to me like that_? My revolted ego held a very angry tone and yet, silence surrounded us, no words coming out of my mouth. I wasn't able of verbalize them anyway.

_You selfish, manipulative bastard_.

"Are we understood?" He said again, pausing strategically at each word, slowly, giving the impression he was talking to someone mentally handicapped. I was insulting, to say the least. All of his speech was insulting.

"Yes, sir." I answered, with all the control I was able to manage. I wasn't going to cry I front of him. I wouldn't. Although his words seemed more like daggers cutting me from the inside, slowly and torturing, calmed I remained, using a tone that would certainly mimic one of his soldiers.

Our stared didn't remain locked much longer, basically because I was the one interrupting the damned conversation, ending it once and for all.

With all the grace and neutrality I was able to gather, softly I removed my chin from his fingers, which seemed to catch him off guard for a bit of a second. That classical indifferent, impartial complexion of his returned quickly and I left his room, silently, not minding his presence, not minding what the hell was he going to do now.

All I wanted was out of his bedroom, while harsh words of being of no use to him, warnings for me to mind my own business and leave him be… repeated and repeated inside my head, making my sorrow grow exponentially.

Sooner than I expected, I found the bathroom – my bathroom, the one I used before that day…the day he had saved me. The day a monster had saved me from another monster.

Closing the door softly behind me, I still had time to get the water running on the sink and create this noisy distraction to muffle the occasional sobs that escaped me. Thick tears followed, as I covered my face with my hands, not wanting to see my reflection on the nearby mirror.

Sitting by the edge of the tub, all I could do was cry, cry my eyes out and release the oppression that remained inside me.

I felt so unhappy. I felt… my heart had been broken into thousands of pieces. The pain inside my chest was almost agonizing, and it took me a special effort to fade it a little, while I breathed in and out, trying to make it even.

Definitely, my taste on man was terrible.

And, on top of all that… I loved him. And that particular feeling wasn't going to fade just like that.

_How can you? To actually love somebody like him_? My mind struggled, asking questions that couldn't be answered.

_After what he said to you… you should leave him. Leave, Sora. Leave. Run_.

Yeah, I should run all right. Again. Like always. Run and get caught. Then run and run some more.

I was tired of that life already.

After five long minutes, I decided it was time to leave my sporadic hide-out and go to the kitchen. Eat, have breakfast… and uphold my duties here. Without a word of controversy.

_Okay, you can do it. Steady yourself. You're a woman or what_?

Well, my mind was really something. At least my shattered ego still had strength to make me walk outside that bathroom with my head up. With the honor I didn't possess. With the dignity that remained as crushed as my heart.

Once I opened the bathroom door, I found not the hall, but a large piece of man.

A chest I knew too well, for I had slept on it dozens of times.

_Oh, damn_.

The General stood there, his arms supporting all its weight on his hands, at each side of the door frame. His face was different. His face and eyes revealed… pain.

_Welcome to my word, General_…, my ironic mind whispered, secretly enjoying the look on his face.

And, as strangely as it seemed, my will didn't quaver. Not a bit.

"Yes?" I said, my tone very formal, while our stares locked. He hesitated a little before speaking.

"Don't misinterpret my words, Sora." He told me, a slightly angry tone.

"Oh, but I don't." I declared, serious as ever. "I understood very well what you told me, my part and my _use_ here." I know I was being mean, emphasizing on the last words. But he was asking for it.

His reaction couldn't have been worst. His hands left the door frame, and his fingers touched his temples, his face a pained mask of annoyance.

"Shit!" He said, his eyes closed while he seemed to be trying to gather concentration to do something and failing completely. "I have no patience for this." He whispered, opening his eyes and staring at me.

"No wonder." I said, reflexively, my voice failing a little, my soul hurting immensely. "Would you mind? Please?" I asked, gesturing with my left arm towards the kitchen.

His eyes met mine automatically and, between us, a flow of uneasiness passed. Strong. Thick. Violent. Massive.

I was hurt and he knew perfectly he was the one to blame. But he wouldn't apologize - simply because he wasn't like that. For him there weren't such things as unkind and cruel words – for him, words were simply words, to be used and said when the time was right.

Stepping silently, he allowed me space to pass by him, my arm touching his, a sweet reminder of the tenderness that was gone since last night.

As soon as I reached the kitchen, I busied myself with thoughts of food and cheerful plates, hoping I wouldn't see his face soon enough.

-/-

Later that day I was feeling a little less depressed.

After our little confrontation next to my bathroom, he had left, not making a sound, not letting me know when he was coming back home.

Not a word. Not a sign that I was more to him than a woman of "use". The mere thought of that word made fresh tears to appear once more, no matter when.

It was terrible. It felt awful.

Lazily, I prepared the meals according to the schedules he once informed me about – completely and totally decided to avoid him during those hours.

However, to my dismay, the General arrived home in the middle of the afternoon, while I stood right there in the core of his bedroom, changing sheets.

_Damn_.

Thankfully, in the kitchen he remained, not bothering to make an appearance next to me. He ate quickly and left again, without a word at all, as silently as he walked in.

The tension of his sudden presence plus his terrible indifference made me quiver once more. Despaired, without strength in my legs and my knees failing, I allowed myself to sit down on his half-changed bed and mutely I wept, out of sadness and misery.

-/-

It was ten p.m. sharp when I heard the window-door of the kitchen open, the vision of the man who had broken my heart reviving the sensations I considered tamed for the day.

Apparently, I was wrong.

He couldn't have made his appearance in worst moment: my food was on the plate and I was preparing myself to eat – alone, thank you very much - which was not going to be the most likely scenario, since he had arrived just now.

We looked at each other simultaneously and I still had time to feel butterflies in my stomach before lowering my stare to somewhere else near the microwave oven. As always, his stare remained powerful.

And since he didn't say anything, I was the one breaking the ice.

"Night." My voice couldn't have sounded weaker.

He took his time answering back, his voice firm and solid.

"Night."

"It's in the oven, if you want to eat now." The tension couldn't get any larger than what it was, as I waited for his answer – if he eventually answered.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Stop it." He suddenly said, earning my attention. As my eyes met his, all I could find was a massive mask of exhaustion. "This is not easy for me." He declared, with a slightly accusing tone. "So cut the crap already."

"Excuse me?" Wooo. This was too much for me to handle. All I could hear was the sound of my heartbeat, pounding each time faster and faster. Stress and adrenaline working pretty well. Yay.

"You heard me." He said, half-narrowing his eyes. "Are you offended? Too bad. Didn't like to hear it? Well that's a shame but that's the way I am." He paused, while I was still processing his words. And then I almost panicked when I realized he wasn't finished already. "Something very serious is happening and I don't have the time or the serenity to put up with your dramas."

Before I could prevent it, tears rolled over my face. I couldn't sob, I couldn't speak, I could only blink and… feel crushed.

"Well I'm so sorry if I make a scene out of being considered a "worthless thing"." I declared, my voice cracking, barely coming out. The knot in my throat was tighter than ever. "And if I feel offended when you treat me like crap after having me all the times you wanted… I'm really sorry if I act like a shitty human being that actually has feelings."

And with that, I left the kitchen.

I wanted out. I wanted out so bad that I considered getting my coat and leave, walk. Walk until I had strength left in my legs, until I found civilization.

Anywhere, but here. Anywhere, but this.

Before I knew it I was inside my bedroom, breathing heavily, my eyes alert, searching the place.

_My coat. Where is my coat_?

I couldn't focus, all I could hear was my breathing, my heart, all I could feel was how the tears seemed to have life of its own, falling, and falling, and falling. Reflexively I tried to reach my own closet.

Massive arms and hands around my waist prevented me from doing so. And my reaction was immediate.

"Let me go!" I said, now crying openly, bending forward, trying to free myself from his hold and failing completely. "Don't touch me!" I cried, realizing my feet didn't touch the ground. Most likely, I seemed a little kid being grabbed from behind by an adult. A huge one. A beautiful, handsome, cruel being that owned my heart without even realizing it. "You bastard..." I declared, my voice altered from the crying, while I remained close to him, feeling him next to me, his warmness flowing from him to me, as softly he tried to adjust both our forms together. I felt his hair tickling my hands, the fair details of his face close to my neck, as I sensed uneasiness from him as well. My body shivered at his contact, a mix of fear and desire.

After a couple seconds of heavy breathing, he finally talked.

"I… Listen, Sora…" His tone was warmer, calmer than before.

"No!" I said, closing my eyes, while my hands grasped the soft fabric on his arms and fore-arms. "I don't want to listen anymore."

"Please." He whispered, so tenderly despaired that I felt a pang inside my chest. _Is he hurt…?, _my mind considered, my eyes now open. Even my breathing rate seemed more even.

"I-" I planned on saying I didn't want to hear him say anything because he would hurt me anyway, but he didn't let me.

"It's still there." He interrupted me, his face resting against my neck. I remained silent, realizing he had his eyes closed and that his agonizing tone couldn't mean anything good. On the contrary.

"What's there?" I whispered, not knowing if I should ask him or not about it.

"That sound, that… maddening noise." He confessed, while his breath tickled my skin. "It won't go away." Another pause, another deep breath. "It comes and goes, it… Fuck, it's… playing with me. With my sanity, with my temper."

And all I could do was listening to him, mouth half-open, lost in thought, running out of options. Suddenly he turned me to face him, our faces so close that it seemed that he wanted to kiss me. However, the expression he wore and the despair of the words that would follow veiled something very, very serious.

"It's here again." He said, looking around, as if we were surrounded with people. Seeing him like this made my chest hurt terribly. "Fuck, what is this?" He whispered, his stare on mine again. "This is driving me crazy. I can't… I can't stand it…" His panic was overwhelming. "I can't sleep, I can't… " And just like that he was out of words, panting, like a scared child afraid of the boogeyman. My tears and hurt were long forgotten and all I could think was him, so lost and anguished in front of me, his eyes begging for support.

"Easy…" I whispered, my hands on both sides of his face, our noses touching every now and then. "Calm down, it'll be okay, I'm here, I'm here…"

He suddenly closed his eyes, as his hands found mine. Before I could help it, my lips were on his, a chaste, powerful yet tender kiss that intended to reassure him, a way beyond words of showing him that I was there, no matter what. Even if his words hurt me. Even if his actions resembled otherwise.

Our kiss didn't last more than two seconds. Out of nothing, he inhaled sharply and his face left mine, a mask of insanity growing on his complexion, second after second.

"Oh, shit, here we go again…" He declared, now completely oblivious to my presence. With a sudden and swift movement, he left my bedroom, heading… I didn't know where.

All I knew was that I couldn't let him go, alone. I had to go. I had to be there for him.

Reflexively, my legs transported me to the kitchen – the window-door leading outside was open and I stepped outside as well. Once I reached the porch, my eyes rewarded me with the most terrifying vision I could ever remember.

The General stood in the middle of the land, his massive sword shining, his face torn and twisted into something I couldn't classify. His eyes burned, cat-like; his dark clothing softly dancing to the sound of the icy breeze… his beautiful hair flowing with an alien grace… while he shouted, screamed, like a madman. Like a man without any sense left.

"WHO ARE YOU?" His voice seemed like angry growls. "SHOW YOURSELF!" He ordered, visibly raged, his eyes scanning the whole place. "NOW! DO IT." All I could hear was the eco of his voice. "Oh, fuck, I'm going to find you and rip your guts out until there is nothing LEFT!"

I shivered, both of cold and terror.

"Sephiroth…" I whispered, not realizing what I was doing.

But he didn't listen to me.

"Wanna play hide and seek with me you teasing fucker?" He said, stepping towards a random area of green, dark forest. "Oh, we will… and you'll regret it. I'll make sure of that. YOU WILL REGRET THE DAY YOU WERE BORN!"

And with that, something happened. From his back an enormous black wing came out, ripping his shirt off and producing an strong, violent wind that threatened the consistency of the house. I trembled, shocked and confused… mesmerized at such beauty and bizarreness.

In less than a second, he disappeared, towards nowhere, like a giant, black bird. Like an angel. A torn, insane angel.

Before I knew it I was inside the house, closing doors, windows, gasping, breathing loud, shaking so much that I couldn't even grasp the door handle.

I felt so scared, so frightened. Petrified, as I never felt before.

I reached my bedroom and in there I remained.

Covering my mouth with both hands, tears escaped uncontrollably. I heard myself panting loudly, as the air exited my nostrils, as I sat in the ground with my back resting on my bedroom door.

As I watched the man I loved transform into a wicked, flying … being.

As I watched the man I loved going mad, feeling completely powerless to do something to prevent it.

* * *

**A/N – Yep, this is getting disturbing. Whatever is outside… it's making him snap.**

**Will this have a solution? Is he going mad or what? **

**Is it Jenova or not? ****Hum… what if I told you the answer to that is ****partially**** "**_**yes**_**"? Think about it people. Our foggy specter can't be – always –the one to blame!**

**Review and let me know what you think* :D**


	41. Chapter 37

_**Disclaimer: As always. Sora's mine. The gorgeous General belongs to Square Enix.**_

* * *

_**A/N – Okay so, huge chapter to compensate almost 3 weeks of absence. Sorry guys, Christmas and New year's eve didn't allowed me to feed my addictive hobbie. But hey, there you have it, hope you like it.**_

_**It's a calmer chapter, I had to pace it like this to compensate the intensity the last ones had – and well, there are strange things happening here, I know, don't kill me LOL but all these strange events are plenty justifiable. And to some of them, the answer will only come in the sequel. Sorry about that.**_

_**So, Dreamcatcher is almost reaching the end – Chapter 40 will be the last one – huge, immense and an epilogue will be (eventually) added too. So that you know :D**_

_**Okay so – my sincere thanks to those who reviewed, fav'd and alerted the story, I do feel very happy when I find those messages in my inbox LOL it's really gratifying. And to all of you who read but don't review – it's okay :D – my thank you's from the heart. **_

_**Now, enough ranting. Let's get to the point here. **_

_**Enjoy, people.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 37.**_

* * *

**Sora's POV**

* * *

I was sitting, on the floor, my back against the door.

My eyes remained bugged towards the dark that surrounded me for… how long? I didn't know. Minutes, hours? Both options were valid right now. I had so sense of time, I had no sense of… well if I got to think about it, I felt a mental numbness that could eventually resemble a dementia symptom of some sort.

After some time, my breathing calmed down, becoming acceptably rhythmic, as well as my pulse. However, I couldn't say the same about my tear sacs. I didn't know I was able to cry this much, so… copiously.

All I could remember was his desperation, his words, his non-sense speech and his lost stare while saying it.

And that… wing. _My God_. He had a wing. I had touched him on his back, so many times and I had never… felt anything under the ordinary. Not a hump, not a protuberance, nothing at all. Just his lusty skin and muscle, driving my appetite crazy, making me wanting him each time more and more.

After all, what I thought I had dreamed the night he saved me… hadn't been a dream at all. He had came, flying, and landed next to me, killing that cruel bastard while I laid there, eyes closed, despaired, reality mixed with a dream world that was more real than I imagined.

My God… _What should I do_?

What was this - bothering him to the point of driving him crazy? What was this… that was taking him away from me?

Sighing heavily, without rational answers to my questions, all I could imagine was him – The General – and I wondered… if he had behaved like this the day he had gone mad and … murdered a whole village. Was this a prelude for something serious? Was he going to decay into a monstrous man again, a heartless killer and merciless assassin?

I didn't want it to happen. But I was afraid it would, no matter what.

_Would it?_

_He is going mad?_

_Is he going to kill me?_

Closing my eyes out of despair, I thought of something. Someone. An entity. That very same entity that came to me once, compelling me to find him and nurse him… Jenova.

Would she be the one to blame for all this? If so, why? Why spare him, her "son", only to drive his sanity astray… again? And, if so, what was my part in all this?

Giving up to tiredness, I moved slowly towards my bed, a thick blanket providing me the comfort I so desperately looked for. I didn't even change - with my daily clothes on I rested and thankfully I fell asleep, unaware of the evident signs of dawn, to a dream.

A dream that would change the course of the events.

-/-

_I slept, so cozy, so warm, so… comfortable. I hadn't felt this comfortable in years. _

_My eyes opened and I realized I was in my bed, my bedroom, the honey thick blanket all over me, while the trees moved heavenly through the window, the sun coming down, bathing the room with orange rays of faded light. _

_It looked so wonderful, so divine. _

_But I wasn't alone. There was this gray blur next to the door, that could only mean one thing. He was there, for me. He was there… it was all that mattered. _

_I got up, lazily, making a considerable effort to stand. Why was I feeling so tired? I didn't know. With difficulty, next to the bed I remained, turning towards that gray mist whose presence pledged me with tenderness and desire._

_Before I could think about anything else, the mist reached me._

_And it wasn't him, my beloved General. It was Her... Jenova._

_I froze instantaneously. A shiver of fright and terror traveled throughout my body, as I took in her features, her stare, her… absorbing influence. It mesmerized me. It terrified me. And the resemblances were unmistakable. The hair, the complexion, the fluidity… even the smirk. My General was admirably alike his alien mother._

"_Don't make that face, dear one. It's not the first time we meet."_

_No, it wasn't. I gulped, not knowing what to tell her in response. But she didn't let me think of anything – awkwardly, she did all the talking._

"_I can see you have been busy. He's quite a stud, isn't he?" _

_It almost sounded funny and I felt my cheeks burning. Yeah, he was - quite, indeed. But... what was her point with this conversation anyway? And why bring up his manly capacities to our little dreamy conversation? This was definitely weird. Very weird, indeed._

"_Don't hurt him." I whispered, not realizing I was actually ordering Her. The Jenova. The Calamity. A deity capable of destroying me within a blink of an eye. And all I could do was asking her not to hurt the man I felt so dependent on. The prospect of him going mad, insane, made my chest ache terribly. _

"_Aren't we protective." She mocked, standing specter-like in front of me. Her tone wasn't angry, but yet very… entertained. Her cruel smirk disappeared quickly. "I'm not… hurting him." She suddenly said, her speech now more serious. I didn't quite understand why, but that swift transition didn't please me at all. "He's freaked out about something else entirely."_

"_What about?" I said, taking the risk again. Maybe she would answer me. Even if this was only a strange and weird dream that-_

"_This is not only a dream, dear." She suddenly answered, approaching me. I almost felt that mist of hers envelop me like a thick web. "I am here, mainly because there is something that I must take care of."_

_I almost gave in to the temptation of asking her why, but I couldn't – because she didn't give me the time to do it._

"_I am so sorry, but I can't allow it." She declared._

_Before I could understand her words, I felt something I had never felt before: her touch. _

_Her alien hand rested on my lower abdomen, a cold – yet soothing touch, so similar to his, so… comforting and tender. And then, the unexpected happened. _

_Her misty, foggy fingers intruded my skin, my flesh, and the most acute, sharp pain followed. I trembled, my hands reflexively reaching her hands as well. Amazing how her misty appearance now felt so solid. So… real. Iron fingers under mine. Cold, alien hands hurting me terribly._

"_Ngh…" I let out a muted whimper, my mouth parted, the pain almost unbearable to bear. I felt my limbs quaking, failing. I would certainly fall if I-_

"_Wake up. Now."_

_I looked at her once more. I couldn't say anything. I couldn't see anything – the pain was blinding me already._

"_I said wake up."_

_-/-_

"Oh!"

I opened my eyes, not knowing exactly where I was, what had happened.

"Oh… my God…" I said, a sharp pain coming out of that place where her misty fingers had been just seconds ago. It felt like she had been touching inside my viscera or something. I wanted to think coherently but my mind didn't cooperate.

_What did just happen_?

Yeah, it was a nice question. And – for a change – I had no feasible explanation to it. Had it been a dream? A nightmare?

She had never come to me while I was sleeping. So, was this a new way of approaching? Or was it simply my mind, eluded and affected by those suggestive thoughts before falling asleep?

For a change, I didn't know.

But I didn't have much time to think about it.

The pain was getting sharper. The waves of excruciating ache invaded me merciless – to the point of bringing tears to my eyes.

"Oh… Christ." I whimpered, pressing my hands against my abdomen. What the hell was this?

_What the fuck is this_?... my impolite mind cried, desperate.

When I thought the feeling would get simply unbearable, I felt something warm… thick… something coming out of me, an immediate reliever.

I breathed in and out softly, taking in that warm, anesthetic effect of… _Oh-uh_. My eyes opened suddenly and all of the tiredness and drowsiness abandoned me, adrenaline kicking in and, in a sudden gesture, I removed the blanket off me and I saw I was dressed, from the previous day. My jeans, wrinkled… adorned with a new color. _Red_.

At first I didn't get what was going on. But then I realized – it was blood. I was bleeding – profusely. From one of my natural orifices... below.

I reacted, gasping, confused. Scared.

_OhmyGod_.

My body trembled, as I realized what was really happening to me. I felt my clothes imbibed on my own blood, while my body kept expelling it from me, as if it were poison.

It didn't take much for me to start panicking.

I was bleeding out, all alone, in the middle of nowhere.

I got up and ran to the bathroom. I turned the shower on and started removing my clothes – slowly, shamelessly afraid of what my naked body would reveal to me.

An hour later, I started to calm down – finally.

After concluding that the whole bleeding event had been only my period - which had decided to make a sudden, painful and… abundant appearance, I took my time resting against the tiles, while warm water sprayed me constantly, for about an hour.

Now I sat lazily on the white tub floor – that had been agonizingly, intermittently bright red for the last 60 minutes.

Now I could finally erase one more worry from my head. My period was here. And the General had been right all along. No such thing as a pregnancy.

_Thank God_…, my mind whispered.

Eventually I removed myself from the tub and walked to my room, cozily wrapped in a fluffy towel.

I felt tired.

And I was hungry.

And I wondered where on Earth my General would be.

My bedroom was a mess. Bloody sheets, mattress-cover included, my clothes… God, it would be terrible to remove the bloody stains from it.

With my pajamas on, I made my way to the kitchen. And I felt slightly surprised when I realized I had to sit a little in between making the meals. I felt an awkward strenuous sensation.

I figured it must have been from the blood loss. I took special attention to what I was eating – I had to feed myself with vitamin and iron-enriched food.

When I was done with the meal, I realized it was night time already. It had been night time since I had woken up from that dream.

Reflexively, I looked at the clock – it was 2 a.m. – and he wasn't home. And, judging by the way the kitchen was, he hadn't been home… since his last outburst out in the open.

_God, I hope I can get to my bedroom_…

I was scared, because I was feeling really weak. I needed to sleep, and rest. Gather some energy, allow my organism to get back to what it was _before_. But… before what?, I wondered.

_Well, before Jenova had me almost eviscerated in my sleep_…, my mind mocked. Nonetheless, it wasn't an occasion to be funny – on the contrary.

I had to support myself on the wall to get to my bedroom. Finally, I made it to the recent-made bed and cuddled myself, the process exhausting me tremendously.

Thinking about the mess I had left in the kitchen – dirty dishes, left-overs on the table – and in the bathroom, where my bloodied clothes and sheets remained, abandoned, I felt myself abandoning all will, diving in a blissful, profound sleep.

A sleep without dreams or nightmares.

* * *

**Sephiroth's POV**

* * *

It had stopped. As abruptly as it had begun, it had simply… vanished.

_Thankfully_…, I closed my eyes, sighing, waking from a sleep I didn't know how much had lasted. Hours, days? I didn't know. I only knew my exhaustion had been too much to bear – I hadn't slept for some days. _It_ wouldn't let me. _It_… massacred my sanity to a point… of rupture. _Almost … rupture_. Gladly, I didn't reach it completely.

The absence of that irritating, annoying sound felt almost a bliss. I was thankful it had stopped.

Sitting now inside the cabin that I owned – abandoned, unused for the last days – I could only remain there, quietly, contemplating the nothingness.

I felt… relief in a way I hadn't felt for years.

Almost at the verge of insanity, my thoughts had been the most terrifying. I was afraid of losing my mind, my honor_,… her_ – that woman that had changed my life in a way I wouldn't dare to think about.

_How petrified she must have felt when she saw me_.

Yes, she must have been. Scared, surprised, when my wing came out. Shocked with my disproportionate anger. She had seen the best and the worst of me by now. At any level, under every angle.

And all I could do was to wonder if she wanted to see me again, if she would accept me – now knowing what I was capable of.

Maybe it was time to go home.

-/-

Once I got inside the house, I had the strangest sensation ever. Slowing my pace, I walked silently, ghostly, not making a noise while an even breathing – hers – filled my ears and eased my senses. She was asleep. That was a good thing.

However, that disturbing sensation didn't fade away. It was an impression - that _someone_ had been there. Someone very very peculiar; someone I had learnt to sense and find out quickly, for I had pieces of her randomly scattered inside me.

_Jenova_.

The obvious answer frightened me. Yet, another question popped silently in my mind.

_Why was she here_? _What for_?

Yes, what for? That was a hell of a good question. Realizing I didn't know the answer annoyed me. Plus, it irritated me because logic was cruel – if _She_ had been here… it wasn't for me. It had been for her - Sora. And that made me feel resentful.

The house _felt_ different, now that I knew she had been there.

She had been everywhere, in every room and every corner – but mainly in Sora's old bedroom. The bedroom at which door I stood, now, contemplating the fragile woman sleeping deeply, like a baby would.

She didn't notice me – and I didn't wake her up.

Also, there were also marks of oddness in those places we used to hang on. The kitchen – usually neat and clean, was terribly unordered, plates and dirty dishes all over – giving the impression someone had used it and left in a rush. All I could wonder was why – why would Sora do that now, if she never did that?

To get even weirder, there was a metallic scent invading the house – something that resembled, unmistakably, blood. I remembered smelling blood – human blood – while I was on mission. It was a very distinctive essence and I was capable of discerning it miles away. So, someone had bled. And a lot.

And given the absence of options, the conclusion was obvious. It had been her – Sora. But how and why? Staring now at her bloodied clothes on the bathroom floor, as well as the sheets, I tried to make sense out of this madness.

I tried, very hard, while I closed her bedroom door and walked towards the kitchen, where I sat, without strength left to bear with so many unasked questions.

* * *

**Sora's POV**

* * *

When I finally woke up, sunlight still bathed the bedroom.

I blinked several times, feeling like I was attached to the mattress by some strange magnetic force. I felt so comfy, so warm.

Focusing, I realized silence inundated the house. So, or he wasn't at home or… he was silent somewhere – his bedroom, the living room… oh, who knew?

Sighing, I gathered strength to get up. Very, very slowly I got up, realizing I was feeling better by now. I didn't feel tired as I did before and I was hungry – which was good news.

Trying not to make sudden movements, I roamed in the bedroom, realizing it was warm – warmer than before – which meant he had been home. He had been home while I had been asleep and he had turned the heater on.

My heartbeat peaked and butterflies arose in my stomach instantaneously. He had been here. He had been cared. And, most likely, he had been staring at me sleeping with those magnificent eyes of him… alien eyes that shone every now and then at the sight of me, a shine that he tried to conceal at all cost. Those eyes… that I loved so much.

Most likely, he had seen the mess I had left behind. And he must have wondered. He must have…

My lazy feet didn't let my mind end the sentence. As I walked through the hall, I noticed small marks of his presence, small hints of his … being here.

As soon as I reached the kitchen, everything was neatly clean. The counter was spotless, the dishes in place. The table with that vase with fruit on it and… four chairs, all arranged in place. Damn. The place looked like the model kitchen of a _décor_ magazine.

"What is wrong with you?"

That voice, coming from behind, somewhere above my head. He was there. Right there, almost glued to me, but not touching me. My breathing deepened and I felt anxiety invade me. Suddenly, the images of his outburst of madness came to my mind. His eyes, his lost stare, his… giant wind, creating turmoil of wind around us that seemed to threaten the house's integrity. His black shirt destroyed, tearing apart while that feathery thing protruded from his upper back, next to his shoulder blade. His torso, his posture… so powerful, so appalling.

It took me some time to gather the strength and the coherence to answer him.

"Nothing, I'm… okay." I said, while I was trying to convince myself that I had to turn and face him. Eventually, I would have to look at him. Didn't I?

Thankfully, he decided for me. He passed by me, surrounding me and standing exactly in front of me, leaving a concrete meter between us. I had a feeling he was measuring me or analyzing me like a CT device… his eyes seemed to burn as our stare finally met.

"You're pale." He declared, as if he was stating something very grave. His arms were next to his body. His neutrality freaked me out terribly.

_And you're scary, looking at me like that_...

"I've always been pale." I said. It was true, I wasn't very fond of tan skin. And I never had seen the sea.

Lost in childish thoughts about my scarce traveling experiences, I felt his touch on my skin. His warm fingers met my face, and he seemed to examine me with uncanny eyes.

"You're paler."

"Oh." _That_. "My period came. Abundantly." I declared, trying to avoid his stare. Why was I feeling so shy today? Certainly, the wing-related episode had made me feel less comfortable next to him. Yeah. That and his insane occurrence out in the open, shouting at nothingness.

"Abundantly?" His voice seemed to doubt every word I said. And, as usual, I tried to justify myself.

"Yes, I-"

"Is that usual on you?"

"I…" Great. I had no idea. Making a considerable effort, I tried to recall how my body used to work since my early adolescence. "…I don't know, I… maybe. Occasionally, I mean."

His hand returned to its previous position and he insisted on standing, staring at me and thinking something that - most likely - I wouldn't enjoy listening to.

"It's all over the house, you know?"

_Uh?_

"What is?"

"The smell of your blood."

"Oh." Blood. Right. My blood. _Tell me about it_…, my mind whispered, while I remembered the oppressive moments I had spent alone, bleeding like a hole had been created in my heart or something. The thought of Jenova and her wicked words sent shivers up my spine, shivers of fright and _un-_acknowledgment that perspired very transparently through my speech. "But it's okay, I'm fine, I…"

And, of course, he realized it perfectly. He felt it, as I felt it too. _That_ presence, _that_ lingering… existence.

"What is it you're not telling me?" He whispered, his form closer to mine. All of the sudden, all my eyes could grasp was the black cotton of a shirt, unbuttoned way below the hollow of his neck.

"N-Nothing, I-"

"Don't lie to me, Sora." He murmured, while his face approached mine, as his right hand angled my jaw and neck so that our stares could meet. Scary and sexy – those were feeble words to describe him and his moody actions right now. Well, to be honest, there were no words that would do him justice right now. "There is no use in hiding _that_ from me."

Yeah, was there any use of hiding something from him? Nope, not me. Not a regular woman like myself. And especially not a woman blindly in love with him… a category I seem to fit in perfectly. Okay, so I had to speak my heart and mind to him. I had to.

_Trapped here. Not a chance of hiding_.

"I…" I started, without knowing what exactly I should say. "I-I dreamed of… _Her_."

And just like that, that terrible word had been said. His eyes sparkled as he processed the words I had proffered.

"You did?"

I nodded, underneath his hand.

"What did She tell you?" He inquired, his voice very controlled. It was a sign he wanted to know very badly what had happened. He got all tense when the issue was … _Her_.

"She told me that… God, it doesn't make any sense." I declared, closing my eyes out of despair. Remembering the contents of that terribly painful dream made my heart beat unevenly. That, adding to him becoming all impatient wasn't helping. The last time we had spoke about Jenova he had squeezed my arm… but now he had his hand close to my neck.

"Just tell me what She said." He whispered, his voice apparently calm. "It's okay, just… say it."

I opened my eyes and I searched his stare. I needed something, I needed to find reassurance, I needed to know that the man in front of me really meant what he was saying, that he had been the one saying the calming words my ears had listened to. That, eventually, provided me the strength to continue.

"The noises you heard… it wasn't of her making." I stated. "She said she wanted to take care of something. She said she couldn't allow it."

I was saying it, but I had no idea what it meant. And he probably read it on my face – a total un-acknowledgment of the facts.

"Allow what?" He asked, his eyes narrowing discreetly.

"I don't know…" I murmured, truly lost in words.

He kept gazing upon me a little and then, he took a step back, his hand leaving my face. His eyes scanned me again, my whole body, from head to toe. It was obvious he was looking for something. Answers, maybe?

"What did She do to you?" He finally asked, while he vaguely tilted his head to the side – maybe even slightly annoyed. Oh we were getting to the hardest – and oddest - part here.

"She…" I started, but the reminders of_ her_ touch were still very recent for me not to waver as I described what _She_ had done to me. "Her fingers… reached inside me – through me. It's impossible, because She is all mist and fog and She can't possibly-"

"Believe me, She can." He said, while he approached me again. "Let me see it." He ordered, whilst I was already exposing my abdomen to him. My quivering fingers rested on my lower belly, where Jenova's painful grasp had been, in that dream.

"It hurt and then… I woke up." I finally said, covering myself.

He seemed to take his time considering what I had told him.

"I don't understand." He eventually managed to say. "Why would She…do this to you…" His stare seemed lost, as if he was searching for answers in some inexistent place. "It makes no sense."

"Maybe it was just a coincidence." I admitted, trying not to freak out with the whole _extremely-vivid-dream-thing_. "I… had been thinking about her just before I fell asleep and I was waiting for my period to come, so…it may have been only a very vivid nightmare."

His eyes met mine seconds after my words came out. And he seemed dead serious.

"I honestly doubt it."

_Oh. My_.

"Why?"

"She was once in my head. I know what She is capable of." The General stated, as he took several steps towards the kitchen counter. "What is bothering me is that I don't seem to grasp her intentions."

His tone scared me. And I didn't know why, but I didn't like it one bit. His complexion was very serious, which was a clear sign of worry. I could only look at him, not knowing what to expect. Not knowing if his words would comfort me or frighten me.

"Jenova… does not act without a purpose." He declared, his eyes meeting mine. "Of that, I am certain."

The anxiety flowing in the silence around us threatened to crush our hopes. A hope that… things could eventually get back to what they were - when nothing else mattered but the touch of our bodies, the hungry kisses and the eager stares we shared. Now, that fairy tale was seriously endangered by the purposes of a dreamy specter, haunting our existences once more.

The General now stood with his arms crossed, relaxed against the counter, focused on the kitchen tiles right in front of him.

"Is it over?" I asked him, earning a sincere stare from him.

"What?"

He sure sounded surprised with my question.

"The noises. Are they over?" I clarified, visibly curious. Hell, not only curious – I was in fact dying to know if those annoying sounds were still bothering him or not.

"Yes. They are over."

The honesty and the content in his words felt like a soothing blanket softening my heart.

"I'm glad then." I admitted, avoiding his piercing stare. Sometimes his eyes were excessively prying, they invaded me so mercilessly that I couldn't help but to feel uncomfortable.

"I regret you had to see that." He suddenly said, and it took me some seconds to realize he was referring to what had happened out the open - the freak show. "I wasn't… at my best out there."

His face held the strangest expression. It perspired sadness and lament, although I couldn't see all the components there. It was like he was trying to hide something he was very ashamed of.

"It's okay."

Well, it wasn't exactly okay but I had to say it. Did I have any other choice here? All of the sudden, "_No, it's not okay_." didn't seem a good alternative.

"Is it?" He asked, as if he sensed the turmoil inside me.

I nodded. As I did so, he approached me, his eyes scanning me again. God, he was doing that thing again… as if trying to figure out what was wrong with me or something.

"You're weak…" He suddenly whispered, as his hands found my arms. He exerted a little friction, and I shivered with the contact. He was so addictive. And sexy as hell. Even with a wing hidden inside him and with - obvious - mind issues, still unsolved.

Okay I had to find coherence somewhere to elaborate a decent sentence.

"I'll be fine." I said, eyeing him with noticeable awkwardness. "I have been…eating properly and-"

"I am… sorry for all this." He interrupted, and his words surprised me immensely. "For all I said."

He was apologizing. _Was he apologizing_? _For real_? Yep, he was. And I felt at a total loss of words. Nothing like this had ever happened. _Ever_. My mouthed half-opened in amazement. All I could do was blink – and that was happening because it was automatic.

"Can you still trust me?" He asked, his eyes on mine. Oh, God he was definitely serious about this. His facial expression was almost painful. _Almost_. "Say something. Please." He whispered at me.

However, truth was – things weren't that simple.

"I-I… think so." I confessed, eyeing him with all the sincerity I had in me. And, judging by his reaction, it wasn't the answer he expected from me.

"I guess that's only fair…" He said, his tone a little caustic.

I sighed loudly, realizing the reaction he was expecting hadn't been exactly the one I had had. He clearly expected me to receive him with open arms, as if nothing had happened. Yeah, I wished things worked like that. I wished I worked like that. But I didn't.

"This works both ways, General." I declared, my hands resting on his. I could only hope he could possibly underst-

"I see." He said, removing his eyes from mine and his hands from mine, leaving the kitchen silently and without hurry.

I closed my eyes out of despair, not knowing where I could find the strength to stand his moods and his strict way of dealing with things.

The following days would be tense, I was willing to bet.

* * *

**A/N – Okay, not like I would like it to end, but I had to cut it somewhere LOL! It's a different chapter, with lots of conscientious dialogue but I believe it was necessary. Not only because of Jenova and the whole dream/not dream thing but also Sephiroth's actions towards Sora. He expects her to behave in a way she won't. So things aren't going to get pretty. **

**Okay, so question one – What will happen between them? Their relation-ship is shaken and… they're colliding.**

**And question two – Jenova was a dream or not? **

**Tell me what you think guys :D I'll be glad to read your theories and suggestions. You feel free to speak your mind here **

**I'll be waiting. As always.**

**And thanks for reading.***


	42. Chapter 38

_**Disclaimer: As always.**_

_**A/N – Guys, sorry for taking so much updating but I want to make these chapters worthy. :D And something came up, an idea and I put it here. So, hope you like it :D**_

_**I wanted to thank all of you who reviewed, your words of support are amazing and honestly, I don't know what I would do without you T_T . I am very glad that the short-story "Memories Unbound" is growing on fans here. It's a very unlikely scenario but I think a reading will be worth it. And the General is resumed to his old-self – which is fun. :D**_

_**Okay, enough ranting, enjoy your readings.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 38**_

* * *

The following days couldn't be weirder.

A disturbing distance rose up between us, and it seemed that nothing could prevent it from happening. It was like regressing to a state where we didn't know each other, where we barely talked and socialized.

The day after he returned home I realized he had been out for three days. Visibly bored with our last dialogue, the General didn't mention the past events ever again. It was like it never happened, it was like it all had been a freaking bad dream. Yeah, right.

He behaved like I was the one being unfair here, and I had the slight sensation he had been actually expecting me to receive him with open arms, as if nothing serious had taken place.

Well, too bad. I wasn't capable of behaving like that. I had a mind, I had a very sensitive memory and what we had gone through lately left marks on me. On us, in our… relation-ship. Things weren't that simple. At least, things weren't as simple as he put it.

Meantime, very very slowly and gradually, I was starting to feel better. Tiredness was becoming sporadic and, day after day, I felt I was returning to my older healthy-self again. Nonetheless, I slept a lot. Really, like 12 hours a day. And I slept in my bed, in my bedroom, a decision that seemed to bother even more the General.

The first time he saw me coming out of my bedroom, he stared at me with dismay all over his complexion. And, when he realized my pillow wasn't next to his… I didn't see his face, but I heard how brutal he sounded inside his enclosed training space.

I felt somehow… guilty, for doing something like that but, truth was, I was frankly scared of him. I had seen him completely out of his damned mind, seeing and hearing things, I had suffered his rudeness and his terrible temper… and then, I had seen that bizarre thing coming out of his back. A freaking wing. My God. Was this true? Really? Not some optical trick or something?

Sadly, no. This was the real world and I was stuck in the middle of it, with him. And, right now, I wasn't dealing with all this new stuff that well. Maybe I was weak, maybe it was just me and my messed up past life. Bottom line, this was getting ugly. And I – truly - didn't know how this would unavoidably end.

-/-

Today was Sunday. The sun was shining and, albeit the cold outside, the day held the most beautiful clear blue tone. It was great, sunny days made me feel less tense, especially when the General was around – which was the case. He had been around today, and the day before. And that was odd. Usually he left – a lot, but he wasn't doing it lately. All I could do was wonder. I wouldn't dare to ask.

Close to mid-day I went to the kitchen. Meddling in thought about the lunch's ingredients I didn't realize I had someone waiting for me in there, sitting strictly in a chair, his eyes meeting mine immediately. He had surprised me, I didn't expect him to do something like this.

I gulped and, a couple of seconds later, I resumed myself to the counter, where I started with the food processing.

When I thought stillness would smash me, I heard his voice.

"Do I disgust you?"

I instantly stooped what I was doing. And I stared at him at once.

"No."

"Then why did you move to your bedroom?"

_Oh, here we go again_.

"I moved to my bedroom when you were absent." I declared. "Besides… I don't want to bother you."

His reaction couldn't be sharper.

"Bullshit."

That one earned a cold stare from me – again.

"You can't expect things to go back to what they were just like that… not after what happened, General."

"I apologized."

_So fucking typical._ Men. Ah! What was I expecting?

"It doesn't work like that." I said, shaking my head. "An apology is not a permanent eraser of crushed feelings."

"Are you punishing me, is that it?" He said, while he quietly stood up. "Or can't you bear the sight of me now that you know what I am?"

_Oh, for Heaven's sake_.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Until when will you-"

Okay, now was enough.

"I don't KNOW!" I interrupted, surprised with the tone I had used. And the General seemed as surprised as I did, judging by his next action.

Faster than I could predict, his hands grabbed my arms and forced me to face him. I couldn't believe he was doing this. What, was he going to _make me_? I didn't think so.

"Don't you dare…" I whispered, my tone harsh, while my arms fought against his grasp.

"Watch it, Sora." He said, coldness all over his face. "My patience has limits."

_Oh, really?_

"And so has mine." I answered, visibly reacting as his equal. His face didn't flinch a bit. "What do you want me to do? Ha? You want me just get back to your bed and let you use me at your will now that you feel normal again?"My words were cruel, brutal and true but, then again, he had done much worse before. It was payback time, now. "I'm not a freaking toy, General." I added, while his grasp on mine slowly decreased, not leaving me completely but still it did not held the roughness of before.

"I am tired of telling you that I _am_ a human being." I declared, our stares locked in a speechless fight.

"I know that." He took his time answering. By now, he had let go of my arms already.

"Do you?" I asked, ironically. "Well if you do you'll have to understand that I need time." I clarified once again, determined to show him that things weren't as simple as he put it. "What I saw and… lived and… and… the things you told me…" As words ran out of my speech, he took the opportunity.

"Forget it." He affirmed, as if he was stating something very obvious. "Forget about what I said, what you saw."

"I wish I could… as simply as you make it sound."

Yeah, I really did… but the complexity of all these events? _Nah_. His sudden statement couldn't be colder.

"I know where this is headed."

"Do you? By any means, are you clairvoyant?"

"Unfortunelately, I don't need clairvoyance to realize you are distant."

"Sephiroth…" I whispered, shaking my head. God, this man was so complex. "… I know I am far from perfect and… " _I am not like you. I'll never be_. "My feelings for you… didn't change. But please, understand that I-"

"Prove it."

His sudden declaration startled me… and affronted me, in a way.

"No, _you_ prove it." I said, defying him. "Show me that you really… like me."

His complexion changed a bit, and he half-narrowed his eyes, as if he was thinking about what I had said, the meanings beneath my words. Then, he surprised me with the most unexpected sentence.

"You can share the bed with me." All I could do was gaze upon him with amazement. How understanding we were now! "I won't-"

_What, force me? Christ_.

"Why?" I interrupted. I really wanted to know the real reason behind such sudden tenderness. After a couple seconds, he answered.

"I miss you."

My mouth half-opened with amazement. This was one of the cutest things he had ever told me. Apart from telling me he liked me, after post-coital ecstasy.

My eyes were on his. And I felt my heart melt when I processed his words. He missed me. The tender meaning of such innocent words placated immediately my anger, my fear, my revolt. And how easily I succumbed to his warmth, easily putting behind all the harsh and nasty words, the hurtful dialogues, the hateful stares.

"Okay, I'll… share. The bed, with you."

He stared at me intently and, after some painful seconds of eye contact, he left the kitchen, towards someplace inside the house –for a change. It was somehow new, given the time of the day. I always thought that he would leave the house to lock himself up in that cabin, spying on his former boss and company.

Sighing heavily and facing the kitchen floor for a while, all I could do was hope I didn't screw things up by returning to his bed this soon.

The rest of the morning was agonizingly silent – because the General was around the whole time. I was used to silence – a silence conveyed by his absence, not this silence that included him in the equation. It was weird, and terribly uncomfortable. He was there, I was there, each one of us minding our own business …and there was no word sharing. Not even glances, nothing at all.

The lunch was unvoiced, only the sound of forks and knives animating the room. When I asked him if he wanted water, he nodded. When I asked him if the food was okay, he simply nodded. When I asked him if he wanted salad, guess what. He nodded.

And while I poured water in my own glass, I wondered - if I asked him if he wanted me to punch him in the face, if he would eventually nod as well.

He was done with lunch faster than me, excusing himself of his seat with a hushed "Excuse me." I looked up at him, already standing, hoping he would look back at me, even once, but I had no such luck. With haste he left, not giving me a chance to talk or say a word.

With my fork pending with food impaled in it, I remained staring at the place he had been sitting seconds ago, feeling a terrible oppression inside my chest.

Sometimes I hated my feelings. Sometimes I hated that I loved him this madly, that his actions affected me this much to the point of feeling… rejected. Which was ridiculous. He wasn't rejecting me, he was just being himself, exteriorizing his annoyance for not having things his way.

God, he sure was difficult. Exhaling loudly, I decided I should continue eating, because the food was getting colder by the minute.

-/-

In the afternoon I resumed to the basement. I was having a hell of a nasty ride with the washing machine. Bloodied sheets, clothing and even a blanket laid in a pile on the basement floor. Those were the clothes my body had taken revenge on some days ago. I had washed them once but the bloodied smears didn't fade completely – I would dare to say the red on it remained so vivid that I was starting to doubt if I would be able of removing it ultimately.

Looking at the sheets now totally sprawled on the floor, I examined the huge smear on it. I looked at it, having the strange sensation that that smear… wasn't… innocent. I didn't know why, it was a ridiculous thought, but I felt it in my core.

Reflexively, my right hand traveled to my lower abdomen, where Jenova's hands had been in my dream. That pain, so real, so… sharp, didn't fade of my memory like a regular dream. The words of the General about her alien mother's intentions frightened me. What did she want from me? And why did she do that? In a dream world, where reality and fantasy mixed in a way I wasn't used to?

"Are you thinking about Her?"

General. It was him. His voice. His shadowy form rested against the door frame, scrutinizing me mercilessly.

I nodded, removing discreetly my hand from where it rested. An uncomfortable silence followed, and I decided to lighten the mood.

"It doesn't come out." I declared, re-arranging the sheet in place. "I don't know if I'll be able to using the washing machine only."

"It will come out eventually." He said, eyeing me with something strange shining in his eyes. As I looked up at him, I felt mesmerized. I felt… that sensation of being incomplete, missing terribly his arms, his hold, his smell.

Only God knew the strength I had to apply not to run towards him and hold him. My face against his chest, my arms and hands resting on his lower back. Only the mere thought of it made my heartbeat peak.

"Eventually…" I whispered, averting my stare from him.

All of the sudden I heard the sound of fabric ripping. At first, I thought it was my own, I thought that he was going to rip all my clothes off and take me right there. I didn't even have the time to feel scared – because, when I looked at him, I realized it hadn't been my clothing – but his. His black shirt was destroyed, partially on… and a huge, black wing protruding off his back like a diabolic accessory.

It didn't make a noise, it didn't create a windy vortex, it just remained there, hovering over him… and reaching me.

His wing touched me like he did – softly, quietly, tenderly exploring me, tickling my skin. Breathing audibly, I stared at him once more. I could see part of his thorax and abdomen, how his defined muscles marked his form. His wing – pitch black, feathery, thick and massive, exhaled power and superiority. I was away from him – maybe 5, 6 meters, and yet his wing reached me, the tip of this downy appendage touching my face, my cheek… then, going down to my neck. I gulped, realizing my uneven breathing gave my anxiety away, my feelings, my… longing.

Slowly, it moved – to my chest, marking the path where my t-shirt exhibited a discreet cleavage, reaching finally the fabric, going down to my navel.

The wing stopped there, as if considering where to go from there. I searched his eyes and found in there the same hesitation.

Suddenly, the wing moved – so fast, so quick that it startled me. Without opportunity to react, I felt something push me – towards him. His wing enveloped me partially, giving me the hint. It wanted me to walk the path that would lead to him. In less than two seconds, I was already in front of the General, with his upper body half-naked teasing my senses, those sexy hip lines stealing coherency from me and… his beautiful gray hair adorning the sides of his body. He was an image of a deity. And I felt truly lost for him. _Within him_.

His wing stopped exerting pressure when we were inches apart. He took his time looking at me, analyzing my reactions, maybe guessing my thoughts, his arms quiet and still at both sides of his body, mingling chaotically with strands of his hair.

And then, quickly as a blink of an eye, his wing moved me forward and my whole body met his, my hands found his and my face met his chest. And, as if preventing me from running away, that feathery touch caressed my back, my neck, and I didn't have much choice but to remain glued to him.

It was odd, how his wing mimicked his touch. It was like he was the one touching me, but using something other than his hands and fingers. I whimpered at the sensation, feeling shamelessly exposed.

In there, in that shadowy, cold and dark basement, he showed himself to me once again. He showed his shame, his secret, his strange desire of wanting me to understand him.

I closed my eyes. I felt so lost and, at the same time, so comfortable. It took us some seconds of blissful silence before his arms finally moved. One hand reached my lower back, while the other one tactfully angled my neck and jaw for him to meet… my ear.

"Do you like it?" he whispered, his warm breath ticking the sensitive skin there and igniting a fire inside me. God, why was he so damn sexy?

"Hum-um..." I said, with my eyes still closed. This man was a bomb in a shell. At all levels.

"That much?" He whispered, while I sensed hesitation flowing from him again. His mouth hovered over my ear, and his hands didn't move – only his wing, stroking me seductively. Confused, I blinked. I knew where this was headed. If his mouth changed course, or if he decided to tease me any other way, it would ignite the most unexpected response from both of us. Suddenly, images of him, his mouth on my neck, his hands taking my clothes off and positioning me to make me his, filled my mind, and I innocently realized that we hadn't ever done it here – in the basement. Not that I minded, right now.

"I am glad it doesn't repulse you." He suddenly said, somehow killing the moment.

"It doesn't…" I clarified, while, in my imagination, he was already very naked. "It's very… fluffy." I added, smiling softly, as my hands searched for it, and I stroked it, gently. With his eyes on mine, his face lightened up a little, albeit he didn't smile back at me.

Slowly but firmly, his arms enveloped me and his face rested on my head, while I felt completely engulfed by the man I loved and his huge wing.

-/-

After a silent hug that seemed to last hours, we finally disengaged ourselves from each other, the General getting back to what he was doing and I… headed back to the kitchen.

It was nighttime already and the dinner took place under a softer environment. He didn't talk much – as usual, but the mood seemed to have improved. I guessed we had made up somehow, if I got to think about that moment in the basement.

And my imagination running all wild? Geez. I had to get a grip on myself.

As minutes passed by, the tension grew. The time was getting closer – the time when I would return to his bed. For bed-sharing, as he put it.

When I was done in the kitchen, I stared at the clock hanging there. It was half past eleven. It was time to go to bed.

And I felt as nervous as a teenager before the prom night.

Silently, I went to my bedroom and put my pajamas on. It was strange – as I undressed and remained only with my underwear on, I remembered how he liked me to go to bed like this - so prepared for him to take everything off and take me.

But tonight was different.

I would sleep with my pajamas on and there wouldn't be intimate contact. Not that I didn't want it, not that I didn't desire him with all my will.

Sighing heavily, I closed my eyes for a moment. I could only hope that bed-sharing held the same meaning for both of us. If he would force me, I couldn't fight him – physically, I was no match for him. I could only hope that he could give me time. Time to heal, time to adjust and – maybe, who knows, forget all these strange things that happened. I wanted to. But my mind and my body demanded time. Demanded patience from him.

I stood quiet for some seconds, before grabbing my pillow and closing my bedroom's door, finally headed to his bedroom.

When I got there and knocked, he was already there. With his boxer-shorts only. Seeing him like this didn't help – at all. But I was a strong, decided woman, I had to resist. Period.

So, I went straight to his bed, to the side of the bed I used to occupy, and I laid there. Tense as a statue.

Some seconds after, he followed. He laid down, with his belly up, half-covered with sheets and blanket, while I remained like a mummy enveloped in warm fabric.

"Good night" He said, his voice weak.

And I answered, with the same feeble "Good night", not knowing what I expected to happen from here.

That night we slept silently. No forcing, no touching, no nothing. When I woke up, he was already absent and I remained untouched. He had been faithful to his word.

The following nights were calm and still, and the General kept his word thoroughly. We shared the bed – literally, and I was noticing small improvements during our daily socializing. He talked more, at least more than he used to, and he returned home earlier in the afternoon. I didn't know if that was a good thing, the why's and the real reason behind such behavior, but I was a little afraid to ask him - mainly because the answer could frighten me more than predicted.

One night – suddenly - I woke up. It was dark and it was warmer than usual. Quickly, I realized why that was. He had his arms around me. His breathing, regular, even, tranquil above my hair was a sign he was deep asleep. And I, all of the sudden, became hyperaware of everything around me. His form, next to me – I felt his chest and abdomen against my back, his legs close to mine and the muscle power of his arms beneath my own, like an armor protecting my anatomy.

I didn't move, I didn't flinch. I loved the sensation – worse, I missed it immensely. And knowing he held me like this while I slept made my heart melt. Knowing he wanted me but controlled himself not to force me made me want him even more.

From that moment on, I decided I was going to give him a chance - a new one, the amount he needed. Because I loved him and I couldn't live without him, without his touch, without his eyes on mine while his hands held me and our bodies joined.

Smiling and falling back to sleep, I decided it was time.

It was time for us to live our fairy-tale again.

-/-

Next day passed by quickly. He behaved as usual and in the meantime I thought about what I would do, how should I bring up the issue, how our reunion would happen.

Tense and excited, I walked around the whole day with a sensation of nervousness. Tonight, I was going to tell him I was ready. Tonight, I was going to tell him I loved him and that I accepted him the way he was.

However, later in the afternoon, he came home different. His complexion showed tiredness and a high level of impatience I didn't understand where it came from.

That killed immediately my resolution. He was somber, very very absent and the dialogue between us was scarce. He was strange. Worse, he felt strange. And I felt it _in_ him.

That night, in bed, there were no chances of talking. Eventually, I dared to turn my face to him and, with my trembling hand on his arm, I asked him if he was okay.

He whispered "Yes", not reacting to my touch, not even facing me.

I recoiled immediately.

He was not okay. He was far from okay - I felt it deep inside me.

It took me ages to fall asleep. The worry I felt, mixed with a crescent will of crying didn't allow me to sleep profoundly.

And that was the reason I woke up – suddenly – in the middle of the night. I woke up cold, not realizing why, if the heater was on. I sat quickly, only to find a cold, empty bed. He was not there. I felt despair invading me, before shivers ran up my spine, as my eyes found the window-door of the bedroom open, the sound of leaves and tree branches waving in the cold, nightly breeze as it invaded the room, chilling the place. Freezing me, as it reached my cheeks and made my dark, now long hair dance.

For some time, I just sat there, half-covered with the sheets and blankets, with my mind completely off. I stared at the dark outside, only capable of discerning the wooden porch floor.

_What should I do? Oh my God_…

The house was dead silent, he was clearly not inside. I didn't know what to think. I didn't know what to do.

A stubborn tear escaped, falling and smearing the sheet. My breathing was altered and I shivered, out of cold, out of panic, because I feared the obvious.

If he was not here, sleeping, it meant only one thing. Something had awoken him. Something was disturbing him.

And I knew who that something was.

It was the only thing capable of driving his sanity astray.

_Jenova_.

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**A/N – Yeah. I wonder if it's Jenny or not after all. What do you think? Why isn't he in bed? And why is he so strangely understanding towards Sora?**

**Okay, answers will unavoidably come but I would like to know your opinion. Review with all your soul people and let me know.**

**Oh and, as you all know, I'm preparing Dreamcatcher's sequel. But I'm kind of lost here because I don't know how to name it. I need suggestions. Are you up to it? :D**


	43. Chapter 39

_**A/N - I am soooo sorry for all this time without updating, but I was terribly busy. I mean, really busy. Like, my first official book is out there already (yay! :D )and then there was an exam at university that did turn out really bad and then heavy rotations at the hospital. But now things are slowly returning to normalcy and so… time to write finally emerged! :D **_

_**Well, I can't express the gratitude I feel with all your reviews and all – I know, it's been like a month since I last updated – but I have to tell you I am enjoying immensely writing these last chapters (2 or 3 to go and the story's almost done!) and well, let me tell you the sequel it's going to be a blast of a "to be continued". **_

_**Okay, enough blabbering, please enjoy this new chapter. It's all Seph's POV (which I love to write) and well, I'll be waiting for the reviews. **_

_**It brings up many questions, I know – but most of those will only be answered in the sequel. **_

_**Anyway, enjoy your readings! :D**_

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_**I was listening to this music while I was writing the chapter and it sounded so damn adequate I couldn't resist sharing it with you.**_

"_She visits me, when I am weak, when I have nowhere to hide. She always knows when I have someone and then she comes, to torture me._

_She visits me, when I am asleep, when I have nowhere to run. She always knows when I have no one, and suddenly she's there to tempt me._

_She visits me._

_She visits me, from the corners of the past._

_She won't let go of my spirit yet_

_She comes, she comes to haunt me._

_She comes… to visit me."_

_**Vast – She visits me.**_

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_**Chapter 39. Of mist and vivid words.**_

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**Sephiroth's POV**.

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The whole fucking day I was having this strange feeling inside me. It had awoken with me, as if it was part of me. It walked with me, ate with me, accompanied me all the seconds of the day, like a… parasite.

That sensation worried me, not only because it felt terribly oppressing, but mainly because I… knew it was_ Her_. Her influence, like a freaking turn on button, activating her alien cells inside me like a switch.

It was 6 a.m. when my eyes popped open. Everything was so silent, so absent of presences but me and… the woman that laid next to me… but there was something other there. I knew it, I felt it, that strange, oppressing silence giving away_ her_ void weight.

The whole day that void hunted me. I went out and in and the feeling didn't fade. I flew… and yet it remained.

And, silently, I wondered… when would I start to listen to _He_r again, when would that unavoidable moment come… once again. Worse, I had the feeling _She_ was going to surprise me like _She_ did the last time, freaking me out to the point of committing murders and…

Oh, man. What the hell. I didn't want to lose it again. I wanted to be at peace, live my life… with her, Sora. With the woman that my own mother – apparently - chose to save me. Because she had grown on me and I realized I wasn't able to live without her.

I realized I cared for her. I wanted her, in all ways. Her body, her smile, that childish satisfaction pouring out of her when our stares met. And her touch. Her sweet, slightly trembling touch. I wondered, until how was she going to fear me, feeling afflicted.

Sighing heavily, while I sat in a nearby rocky formation far from home, very far from civilization, I watched the sunset.

And, for the first time in my life, I feared the upcoming night.

A soft hand touched my arm, breaking the void inside my head. My eyes met hers quickly, only to find there a terrible amount of worry and emotional withdrawal.

"Are you okay?" She said, her voice failing, as her eyes shone. It gave me the impression she was about to cry, but I couldn't exactly tell. And I was in no condition of shoving her fears away now. On the contrary.

I nodded in response, incapable of speaking. And she realized I was far from okay. My lack of words gave in the lies, the powerlessness of dealing with a superior entity influencing my… our life, an influence that acted the way it wanted. And no one could ever know the why's and the how's. Not even me, the successful progeny. All I could do was to guess. At least, try to.

And this was Jenova. Moody. Greedy.

And she ached for power.

And I knew that no one – absolutely no one – could stand against her.

And amazingly, in the middle of such discomforting sensations, I eventually fell asleep.

"_My son._"

Her melodic tone woke me up before the sentence was done. Reflexively, I breathed in deeply, as if I had been deprived of air for a century. My heartbeat rose instantly and I sat, my acute vision scrutinizing the darkness. The silence was oppressive, as thick air, making my breathing irregular. I had this strange sensation of anger… and unavoidability, at the same time. I knew she was there. I knew she had called for me.

However, deep down inside me, not knowing her intentions slowly killed me. Each second of this thorny silence stole vital force from me.

I blinked, several times, expectant.

"_Come_."

Her tone. It sounded like an invitation and, at the same time, an order. She was ordering me. and before I knew it, I stood, facing the window door of the bedroom, not remembering getting up from the bed and walking towards that place. It was like I had materialized in that place, just like that.

_Just like that, she takes over me and my will, compelling me to do what she wants_…, my mind reasoned.

However I didn't have the time to feel despaired over it, because her voice sounded once again.

"_Outside, my dear."_

In a blink of an eye, I was outside, with no clothes on, except for the boxer-shorts I wore. I didn't feel the cold, I didn't feel the small ice particles on the wooden porch floor hurting my feet, I didn't feel a thing.

I only felt _her_.

And, before I knew it, _She_ became visible to me.

As I processed her misty image, I felt my leg muscles weaken. My mouth half-opened, my chin pending in the process. The soft wind blew around us, making my hair dance… for moments, just like _hers_, so volatile and… alien. So… unhuman.

_My God, do I look like her_…, my mind affirmed, and asked at the same time.

"_Of course you do look like me, my son_." She answered me, before I had time to react. "_I am dominant on you. All over you. Your body. Your mind. Your will._"

Well, that wasn't good news. But it explained a lot of things. It explained all my actions, it explained… why I had died after decapitating her and trying to take her head with me to the Promised Land. To that place she had showed me once, a place that conquered my heart and soul, as I surrendered to her will without even resisting.

"_Don't be so dramatic_." She said. "_You released yourself the day I talked to you, my son. Admit it, you experienced an amazing sensation of freedom when you ravished that village_."

Guilt invaded me instantaneously, as I remembered very vividly what I had done back then.

"_You must not refrain your instincts or who you are_." She declared. "_Your ability to war is undeniably excellent. A warrior must not hide like this_."

"I like it here." I whispered, reflexively.

"_What you do like is being her with her, pretending nothing else exists_."

Her words were cold, and I felt guilty all over again, like a child caught doing something wrong. I had the intention of answering back to her, but she didn't let me.

"_It's time_." She declared, not allowing me to speak. "_She's prepared_." She added immediately, as if she was stating something extremely obvious.

_What_?

My complexion must have mirrored the astonishment I felt.

"_You heard me._"

Yeah, I had heard it all right but there was no way I understood what on Earth was she talking about. All I could remember was Sora confessing me about that weird dream, about her having found me, nursing me and then me and her, in this place, falling for each other day after day.

"What… she?"

Her silence confirmed my doubts. Her unreal stare felt like stone over mine.

"Why did you-"

She interrupted me before the words were out.

"_I revived you because you were worthy of another opportunity. As to why her, you'll soon find out_. _Or not_."

Her last declaration scared me, because she was bluntly smirking when she ended the sentence. And that, strangely, made me feel very uncomfortable.

"_She's alive, isn't she? So why worry that much_?"

My eyes opened wide, as I processed the offensive words she was saying. Talking about Sora that way made her look like a guinea pig for my mother to play on her sick jokes. Just like that one that made her bleed immensely.

"_How possessive_." She declared, amused. "_That's my boy_." She added then, with a wicked tone.

And I didn't like it one bit.

"I'm not your boy anymore." I murmured, my words coming out revolted and hostile.

"_I know you're not. But it's rather amusing to see how my influence on you results so… disturbing_."

_What a sick comment was just that_?

"Leave me alone." I roared, not realizing how despaired I felt. "Get out of my head. And don't you dare to touch her."

I didn't know what to expect from my alien mother. I didn't know if she would smash my sanity with a twist of fingers, if she would get me killed me again like before, or if she would eventually take away from me the most important person I had close to me right now. I didn't know, and I was afraid of finding out. Mainly, because I was afraid of losing my mind again. Or of going insane, of killing her… unavertedly.

"_Our time here is done, my son_."

Before I could say or think something, she vanished.

Like a misty nightmare, whose borders weren't defined with the real world, whose content belonged to a thin place in-between both worlds. In between reality and… _her_ place.

_She_, a being capable of distorting time and space, of manipulating everything surrounding us… warned me. And made me realize how powerless I was… how powerless I felt when Jenova was concerned.

I remained there, staring at nothingness, for a while.

"_She's prepared_", _She_ had said. Jenova's words filled my mind, imbibing every neuron I had. Paralyzed I remained, unable to speak, walk, move… breathe?

That female shaped mist, so foggy and real at the same time, remained apart from me for months, punishing me with silence, driving me mad with questioning, making me doubt of my own sanity.

I had wished for a moment like this too many times to remember. I wished for answers, for questions, for explanations.

There were none. Only that vacant stare, coming from something ethereal, materialized in that form I used to know and recognize as my "mother", the one that filled my essence, the one that made every cell of my body tingle… with recognition.

Recognition of sameness. Recognition of belonging… at least, part of me, to her. Sharing her essence… thus, sharing her power.

However, now, I felt very human – it was that kind of feeling that crippled my will, that lowered me to an inferior ranking. I felt exposed, fragile, compared to her. And I was flesh and bone. She was only mist… but so, so much power emanated from her… my Mother. The one providing me the ability of doing the unthinkable, the one that had given me the chance to rise, to stand at her level, because all she was, somehow, flowed inside me, burning and itching every cell I had inside me.

My unfortunate incapability of control didn't seem to bother her – although, it did bother me. I was Her son, I should be capable of getting over those low feelings of… surprise. I should have questioned her more, her absence, her silence, her ridiculous apparition to the human… instead of appearing to me. The why's and the how's of such happenings remained unanswered.

There were no answers. More riddles came, instead.

_She is prepared_, she had said. She. Sora. Prepared to what? To live? To die? Prepared to what, after all?

My mind raced in thoughts at the speed of light.

"Mother…" I whispered, knowing my words would be lost in the breeze. My alien mother wouldn't hear me. Her presence was faded now. Completely muted.

Sooner than I expected, faster than I could ever imagined, She had vanished, leaving me with inconspicuous presages burning inside my mind, as if Her words held the most important meaning… significance… and a very important information to have in consideration.

_What is the point of all this_?, my mind asked.

I felt all strength abandon me. The adrenaline running in my veins was now fading and all I could hear was the sound of my sword hitting the wooden ground of the porch.

It was then I realized I had been with my sword tightly grasped in my left hand for the whole time.

And it was then I realized someone had awakened as well. For as long, I didn't know.

I heard her moving, removing the sheets and the blankets, getting up from the bed, staring frightful at the window and finally, her stare finding me. I could hear her feeble footsteps carefully walking towards me, without a clue, without knowing what to say, what to do, which words to use.

In fact, there were none: no words could take me from me state I was in – a total and utter shock.

"S-Sephiroth…" She asked, for me, apprehensive.

I didn't stare back, I didn't answer. In there I stood, facing the dark, freezing, my automatic breathing creating rhythmic and temporary vapors. My mind was completely deprived of any rational thinking. All I could think, all I could hear, all I could see was _Her_, my _Mother_, mouthing words I didn't understand.

It was insane.

Suddenly, I felt something – her hand, on mine.

A subtle, trembling touch, exerting a small pressure for me to move. Move, from where I stood. Move, from my trance. Move, because it was freezing.

Without even considering what I was doing, I let her guide me inside the bedroom. Once in there, I let myself rest against the nearest wall, while she closed the window. Warmth invaded slowly the bedroom, a comfortable feeling, contrasting with the cold outside. My eyes stared at nothingness once more, somewhere at the floor level.

It was her voice that startled me.

"_She_ appeared to you."

She wasn't asking, she was affirming it.

All I could think back was "_How do you know that_?" but I didn't have the strength to say it. So, she knew – she knew, exactly what had happened. Well, maybe that was because my mother appeared to her once. And maybe that dream of her hadn't been only a dream. Now, I was certain it hadn't been – just a simple dream.

I didn't answer her though. Still I remained, concluding that I didn't need to answer her for her to know the truth.

"What did _She_ say to you?"

Now, this was a hard question, with no viable answer ahead. I didn't know what to say, I didn't know how to manage a way out of it. For the first time, I felt so lost. Lost of hope, lost of … will.

Then, the unthinkable happened for the second time that night.

Her face, her fair, innocent face and trembling body approached mine with excessive haste. I felt her form collide with mine and her arms rest around me, her face on my chest… warming my frozen heart. Surely, she would hear it, beating, for the first time in so many years, completely havoc.

"It's okay… it doesn't matter." She said, her warm breath caressing the skin on my thorax. "It doesn't matter what She said… I'm here with you, and I'm not leaving."

While I processed her words, I lowered my head and I let my face rest on her head. She smelled of fruits and sun.

And intense feeling of sorrow invaded me. Sadness, fragility, fear, and for moments, I imagined how she would feel, for so many times, fearful and lost with me and my attitudes.

Reflexively, my arms surrounded her, calmly, smoothly, and I allowed myself to close my eyes for some time, sensing how my throat felt oppressed, how my complexion would give my weakness away if she looked into my eyes.

"_She's prepared_", my Mother's words echoed in my mind, again.

Prepared.

Prepared for what?

_For me.._., my mind answered right away, not a second had passed.

Slowly, as we remained embraced, silent and warm, all those feelings of despair and misunderstanding started to fade away… to be replaced with gratitude… longing… pure desire.

My breathing was now audible, even to myself. I wanted her. I wanted her so bad that… if I didn't do something, I had the feeling my body would explode.

Quickly than she was expecting, my mouth found hers. I grabbed her face and directed her mouth towards mine, my lips burning for the touch of hers, her sweet, tasty mouth.

Her arms and hands met my neck and face, as she obliged to my demanding ministrations. Remembering how amazingly she felt and tasted was a blessing. And I missed her immensely – I missed how tender she was, how soft her skin felt touching mine…

"I want you…" I admitted, while our mouths separated for moment, both of us panting shamelessly. With hazy eyes and a breathless voice, she stared back at me, holding nothing back.

"Me too…" She said. "Me too. For a while now."

I smiled faintly, considering her words. Yes, I did want her too, for a while now. And after that moment, we knew no words were needed.

Before I knew it, we were back on the bed, kissing, limbs entangled and hands grasping clothing and flesh. My boxer-shorts were the first piece flying over me. Then, my mouth never leaving hers, I removed her pajamas, her underwear, her feeble hands assisting me on the process.

Promptly, we were bare naked laying next to each other, wrapped up like we were part of each other's anatomy. I took my time searching for her eyes, trying to analyze her expression.

And no words were needed to say what I felt for her.

Time stopped right there and I abandoned myself to the need my body asked for.

And how wonderful it felt to have her in my arms again.

How wonderful it felt, that sensation of deliverance… a sensation I was feeling for the first time in my life. With her.

_Sora_.

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**A/N – Okay, I know, it's cruel to cut it here but… don't worry. Next chapter I'll compensate you guys! **

**You know what to do! R&R! You opinion is most needed! :D And I love having feedback from you! **


	44. Chapter 40

_A/N - There you have it. It took me a while, but I guess it was worth it! Enjoy your readings!_

_Disclaimer: As always._

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_**C**__**hapter 40. Love, insatiable hunger. **_

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_**Sora's POV**_

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I didn't know how I had gotten the courage to walk outside and... bring him back to the bedroom without making a fuss, without him shoving my hand off his and freezing what was left of me with his stare.

No, nothing like that happened.

Strangely, he acquiesced to my innocent desire of bringing him inside. The ice decorating the porch floor seemed like broken glass, threatening to injure our feet if we dared to walk on it.

When we were finally inside, with that soft, warm environment surrounding us, it was then – I took my time to see him.

I had never seen him so fragile. All in him perspired despair. His fair face, focusing the ground, revealed the impotency a man must feel when something unstoppable faced him. Something like Jenova.

I knew it, before I had seen him. It had to be her. Only her would be capable of destroying him, of placating his sanity this way.

And that revolted me even more. I wanted to help him, I wanted to be there for him, yet She… toyed with us, with him, as if enjoying the dizzying effect She induced in him. Weakening him to a rather deplorable point.

"She appeared to you." I said, my voice soft.

I didn't need any confirmation. I just simply knew it. And his silence, his quietness answered me with all the certainty I needed.

"What did She say to you?"

I wanted to know what on Earth had happened outside. What had she told him? What was her point in… disturbing our life here? I enjoyed it here, with him, it was so calm, so amazingly… fairy-tale-like. I liked this seclusion, I liked the fact that no one was around us to judge us… damn, I even had learned to like his schedules, his alternating mood and… loving him madly nonetheless. Yeah, mainly that one. _Loving him_.

I didn't want anyone taking that from me… from us. No one, no human, no freaking alien. I didn't want him all crazy and fretting over because an alien decided to play hide and seek with him.

Realizing I had to be the one calling the shots about this particular issue, I decided to put my proud apart, to forget all our misunderstandings and silly fights and… just support him. Show him that I cared for him to the point of…

_God, I love you_…, I concluded.

And in that very same moment, my body gained life of its own.

"It's okay… it doesn't matter." I said, as my arms surrounded his body and all my form rested against his. "It doesn't matter what She said… I'm here with you, and I'm not leaving."

My face rested on his chest. His heart beat was so… strangely affected. I was used to see him calm, confident and maybe even arrogant in all his superiority, always showing me how unaffected he remained about everything that seemed to affect me terribly.

But I held him, with all my heart and the adoration I felt for him, not minding the harsh words and unfair comments exchanged in previous arguments.

And then, when I least expected him to say or do something, I sensed how his muscled arms circled me and his face rested against my head. He breathed, unevenly, a clear sign of distress accumulating in him. It was an obvious sign this episode had affected him to levels I hadn't … grasped yet.

For minutes, we remained like that. Cosy, in a perpetual hug that comforted both of us. I could only listen to his heartbeat, while his breathing warmed my scalp.

His hands started moving - softly, calmly, exploring random details of my back… and neck. And as I sensed his head and face moving as well, then I realized that maybe all that hand travelling hadn't been that random after all.

Before I could say, do or think about something, his mouth found mine.

As my eyes closed and my mouth relaxed against his, I had finally the notion I had missed his touch terribly and, in a corner of my mind, I asked myself how I had been able to resist him for so many days in a row.

Well. Not that it mattered now.

His hand remained on my neck, partially on my face, and I kissed him back without restraint. His lips were furious, his tongue demanding and yet, softly tender. How tasty he felt. And how I absolutely wanted him naked right in this very moment.

"I want you…" He whispered, while an in between-kiss pause took place, necessary to regain breath, our lips touching occasionally.

I didn't have to think twice to answer that.

"Me too, " I breathed, against his mouth. "Me too. For a while now." I added, knowing it wasn't absolutely required information, but… well, I wasn't exactly thinking coherently right now.

And suddenly we were on the bed, kissing energetically while hands and arms travelled along each other's bodies… depriving ourselves quickly of clothing. I didn't know who got naked first. All I remembered was feeling him – his skin, his firm muscle lines, while my pajamas, bra and panties disappeared from my body, leaving me completely bare against him.

Our bodies touched, while he held me with a need and a tenderness hard to express with words.

While we remained glued to each other, holding each other with such affection, he took his time to look at me in the eye. His forehead rested against mine, and our gaze locked. And from there… millions and millions of sensations, mixed and combined chaotically, flowed from him to me.

And before I had time to say a word, he silenced me with his lips. Again, his mouth devoured mine and I felt his hands searching for my body, exploring it thoroughly and painfully slowly.

Gasps of uncontrolled enjoyment left my mouth several times, as he pushed me towards him, filling me in completely.

The way he breathed against my face, eyes closed, sounded priceless.

He moved exquisitely, as I remembered him to be, every time we shared our bodies. How was he able to be this good, how could he possibly know that the way he teased me would throw me - sooner that I would want to - over the edge?

God, I didn't know how, but I felt it all right.

As he moved - as we moved, in consonance, consummating an act we both desired with all our soul, time seemed to alter around us, flowing differently, as we belonged to a special cosmos.

My body burnt, as the moment of ecstasy threatened to rise up. And he seemed to guess it. I didn't know if he read it in my eyes, or if he knew my body better than I did, or if I simply behaved lasciviously enough to give him the hint. His pace changed, becoming more enticing; his lips and tongue took turns on my mouth, on my ears… and everywhere on my neck and throat. And his hands… oh, his hands felt like velvet cushions holding me and grasping me with longing.

Breathless against him, I waited, patiently – and anxiously – for that glorious moment to come, hoping it would take just a little more before… before.

Whimpers of pleasure bathed the room, still his groans of realization accompanied those several moments of bliss I was experiencing. My fingers, my hands grabbed his lower back and his neck, as I gasped for air with my mouth half-opened.

And then, while I was still affected with aftershocks, his warning moan anticipated the moment of his release, and I felt how tense his muscles became, his whole body on edge, as he grabbed my body with an almost painful grip.

As his thrusts became more demanding, my body reacted as well, and I was surprised with a renewed wave of contractions… this time, simultaneously with him.

That unique sensation, felt never-ending. It was like a process feeding on itself, perpetuating and fueling the feeling to a rather astounding level.

I had never felt something like that in life.

I felt him… and I felt my body contracting all around him – again – launching us to a place of synchronized bliss and… joy, for some long, extraordinary seconds.

Breathless against each other, entangled we remained for moments… moments in which we could only hear our breathing rate calming down, our heartbeats stabilizing and our hands… holding, touching hair and face, the line of our noses and the tempting swelling of our mouths, a discreet mark of such eager lip-to-lip contact.

I felt in paradise.

I felt happy.

And, as he slowly disengaged himself from me, he didn't give me time to miss his touch. Faster than I could expect, he rested his arms around me, cuddling us, like I never had seen him do before.

Surprised, I searched for his face, but I found only his lips on mine again, hushing me.

"Rest, love."

His words shocked me in the same magnitude they comforted me. Never… he had said … such things to me. He had never called me "Love", or used that word towards me, in any circumstance.

And all I could do was to smile back at him.

And all the words I was able to think about was "I love you", replaying over and over again in my mind.

Holding my hands on his, resting my face on his neck and feeling the heavenly details of his body touching mine, I closed my eyes… and concluded that, against all odds, finally - I had reached happiness in life.

-/-

I woke up to the feeling of something resembling human mouth and lips… _chewing_… on my ear lobe. It felt more like soft nibbling, to be precise. And as I processed who was doing it and how his arms surrounded me… as well as other parts of his body… It made me feel hot all over in less than one second.

"So, you're awake." He said, his voice low, strangely seductive. "I thought you never would."

Oh my, weren't we _happy_ in such early hours?

"Y-Yeah…" I said, still half-dazed from sudden waking. God, this man was really something. And as I felt him practically glued to my back, his face touching my neck as his mouth seemed very entertained with my naked shoulder, I couldn't think about anything coherent. Not one basic thought. This was impressive. "Are you hungry?" I asked, aware of how tricky my words sounded. Double meanings at this time of the day could only end in-

"Very funny." He suddenly said, interrupting my line of thinking.

Before I knew it, he was all over me, his hands grabbing me and his lips, so close to my ear, simply smiled. I was able to discern the form his lips designed without even looking at him. It was something as strange as marvelous, how I was able to _feel_ him without a glance or a stare.

"Oh, God…" I whispered, closing my eyes.

But no, there was no God there to save me. And that happened because I was already with _one_, practicing a very sinful human-God act, for sure. My ridiculous thought made me laugh softly, and that grabbed his attention at once.

"Happy?" He said, with his mouth very close to mine, teasing my senses terribly.

"Very much…" I declared at once, closing the space between us at once.

And, after that, only the immense desire overwhelming our minds and bodies mattered.

-/-

At lunch time I busied myself in the kitchen. Still, I felt a little sore but yet extremely satisfied. The insatiable side of the General had been _awaken_ in some sort of wicked way, after last night.

_Not that I complain_…, I thought, remembering how divine he was, at basically every level. I hadn't slept much, after the episode outside, in the middle of the night. His despair made him look so fragile… and it affected me terribly as well. But then, after all the hugging and amazing kissing, he was so fired up I couldn't even… think straight.

The water in the shower ran, I could hear him in the bathroom… the same place where I had been too, with him, almost for an hour underneath that warm water curtain, having the most interesting and breathtaking intercourse experience.

God, I loved his audacity, his tenderness, his… special way of showing me he cared.

Sighing, all my mind could picture was his body… and mine, together. Held together by the strangest force on Earth, brought together against all odds. His divinity and my… ordinariness.

With my hands inside the dish washer, washing the vegetables to prepare the most marvelous salad ever, I sensed his presence next to me.

There were no words, he just stood, silently, next to me, resting against the counter. I felt strangely observed, hit by a powerful gaze I didn't dare to return.

"What is it?" I said, my eyes on my hands.

"I'm just looking at you." He said, serious… and sexy as ever. "No need to blush." He added, as my reddish face gave up my uneasiness.

"Oh. Come on." I said, lost of words.

"So, what do you have for me to eat today?"

His tone was sincere and yet amusing, a clear sign that his mood was way up in the clouds. I barely had seen him pleased with anything.

"Lasagna." I informed. "With veggies."

"Always worried with my diet." He smiled, with his arms crossed. "That's very thoughtful of you."

"I don't want you to lose your… vitality." I admitted, smiling back at him. His gaze felt potent, oppressing mine in a rather enjoyable way.

"Is that so?"

And then, his face lightened up in a way I had never seen before. He looked so free, so… genuinely content. His strange eyes were now more transparent, and his complexion way much… should I say human?

And, with no need of words, we sat at the kitchen table, having lunch like a very ordinary couple.

"I'll have to be absent for the next days. At least, more than usual."

The general's words hit me suddenly, while we were finishing our meal. The idea of having him not close to me didn't appeal to me one bit.

"Oh."

"I haven't been much focused lately." He said, as if he was justifying himself. Well, maybe it was my fault, I could be very sticky sometimes. But I liked him, I wanted to be with him, was that a bad thing? I didn't think it was…

"Sorry." I said, not knowing what else to say.

"Don't be, it's not your fault." He said, smiling softly. That seemed to alleviate the tension of the moment. "It's odd though… that Shinra is being so silent."

"Silent?" I quoted, not realizing what he meant exactly.

"There have been no references to missions or anything similar for the last month." He clarified. "That's very unlikely of them."

_Oh my God._ I totally trusted him – and if he thought something was wrong… then definitely there was something I should worry about. Both of us.

"Do you think we should worry about-"

"Not yet." He interrupted, with a careful tone. "At least, not for now, until I don't check out the transmitters and scan the cable connections. Maybe I'm missing some hidden channel, I don't know."

_My God._ All this, what he was saying… scared me. In some way, I never had considered someone would disturb our peace. Not even once. I felt completely secure and at ease with him. I wanted this – life, like this, the both of us, forever, in this place.

And just the mere thought that… something might just happen and would take this reality from me… scared me.

"Don't worry." He said, his hand searching for mine. "Nothing is going to happen." His touch soothed me immensely, as I tried to process his words and believe – just believe that nothing bad was going to happen. "I'm here for you." He added, squeezing my hand. God, I loved him so much. "No one will harm you while you're here… with me."

"I know." I said, my voice failing. His confessions were terribly meaningful to me. His tender and caring words… made me feel genuinely wanted and loved. Looking at him, searching for his eyes, I smiled faintly, hoping I would reassure him that way.

"I like it when you smile."

_Oh my God, why does he say those things_?

"You're making me feel all embarrass-"

"No need for that." He interrupted, smiling softly as well. And that exact smile left me completely speechless. I could only stare at him, taking in his beautiful features… and feel childishly happy.

"The sun is about to set." He said, rising from his chair, looking outside and back at me again. "Would you like to join me?"

And with that I almost died, right there and then.

"Come." He said, taking my hand, as I stood in front of him. "Let's sit outside while there's still daylight."

I smiled in response, nodding with the silliest feeling of contentment inside me. It was something so simple, so… incredibly romantic, something I wouldn't imagine him doing or asking me to do with him… ever.

So, silently we walked outside, hand in hand, and we sat, on that wooden bench by the porch… enjoying the most beautiful sunset I'd ever seen in life.

However, deep down inside me I knew… it was his presence, his sincere request and desire to share with me the moment with his arms around me while we sat, comfortably, that made it the most beautiful sunset on Earth.

* * *

_**A/N. Oh, I know, it's terribly romantic T_T but so beautiful. **___

_**Okay, hope you enjoyed the chapter, I didn't make it that long because the next one it's gonna be huge! **_

_**Well, as you all know, your reviews are most welcome and opinions appreciated, my ego feeds on them lol. **_

_**Thanks you so much for your support. And see you next chapter* :D**_


	45. Chapter 41

_**A/N – Okay guys, the moment everybody expected… is finally here. I had an immense amount of fun writing this, hope you enjoy the chapter as much as I did. **_

_**Enjoy your readings.**_

_**Disclaimer: as always.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 41 - The fairy tale ends.**_

* * *

The sudden movement next to me on the bed woke me up.

Quickly, I realized it was only him. He was getting up, preparing to go outside – as usual. Sleepy, I didn't move, as he showered, dressed himself and then headed to the kitchen, most likely to eat something.

Sometime after, he returned to the bedroom. I couldn't see much of him, because it was still dark – which meant dawn wasn't even close. I could only see his silhouette, his size, making me feel suddenly so small and insignificant, comparing to him.

He didn't say a word, he only approached me and kissed me on my neck.

"Leaving so early?" I whispered, still feeling the burning sensation of his breathing on my skin.

"I have to." He admitted, not sparing a glance and making his way out, not saying a word more.

_So typical_…, I thought. But this was the way he was and I couldn't do a thing to change it. Besides, he had already proved me he loved me – he had his own, specific … and maybe sometimes wicked way to do it, but he was genuine and true.

And that was all I needed.

-/-

I fell asleep again, mainly while there was dark and woke up definitely after dawn. Busy with my routine, I didn't know how many time passed by.

With my mind occupied with healthy ideas for the lunch and his imminent arrival, I realized I was missing his presence terribly – maybe due to our last days together. He hadn't been out – and neither did I. It had been an extraordinary time together… categorically pretending there was nothing else but us in the planet. Only the thought of it made me sigh with… nostalgia.

Out of the blue, a sudden, dry sound outside made me wake up from my lazy thinking.

"General…" I smiled, whispering to myself as I, through the opaque glass decorating the kitchen window-door, saw an unique dark shadow crossing the lawn, strong footsteps hitting the porch. It was him. It could only be him.

My General.

My _man_.

My love.

Though, something strange happened: more dark shadows followed, fast and sneaky, one after another, which made me recoil at that instant. The smile on my face faded at once and my brain stopped. Literally.

_Wait a minute…_, my mind conceived, as I, reflexively, stepped back from where I stood. Confused, not knowing, not understanding what was happening, in the middle of the hall I remained, listening to the sounds those shadows made. They were plenty, a huge orchestra of strong footsteps and unavoidable armament sounds was heard, with that metallic buzz so typical echoing every now and then. Subtle whispers and manly, dark voices speaking in code surrounded the house, and all of the sudden, this quiet place in which I only heard the sound of fauna and flora… was completely tainted with hate. I felt it in the air, emanating from those beings standing outside the house. My eyes focused on the main door, where the main action seemed to be concentrated.

Suddenly, a painful silence followed, a silence in which I was able to listen my own breathing, my heartbeat pounding, the concrete walls screaming, the wooden floor itching my feet.

And - out of nowhere, a loud, deafening sound took place, followed by smoke – gray smoke, for moments reminding me of the color of his hair, his eyebrows. I trembled with the sound, but I didn't move – I was too paralyzed to go wherever it was. And, if I got to think about it, where could I run to?

There was nowhere to run to. This was the only place I knew. This was my place. And his. Our place, now invaded by … someone I was about to find out _who _would be.

It didn't take much for me to realize the main door had been destroyed and now vanished. Dark shadows and several men's frames bathed the main entrance of the General's house. I couldn't see their faces, all I could see was black – black uniforms, black helmets, black glasses, black… and guns. _Lots_ of guns.

A tall, pale man completely dressed in black lead the way, while the others stood behind the main door, deciding not making an entrance – at least for now. He wore an impressively elegant suit, and his dark hair was up, in a discreet pony-tail. His sharp, pointy eyes and his hard features didn't make me feel comfortable – at all. Curiously, without saying a word, his eyes scrutinized the hall, and even I, who didn't understand a thing about war and strategy, realized he was scanning the area – behind, beneath, above me, searching for something else but me. Searching for _someone_ else.

The sound of his expensive black executive shoes echoed in that hall, as he approached me, taking two steps forward.

"Miss Sukiru?" He asked, with an impressive polite voice and tone. His voice certainly didn't match his looks.

I blinked a couple of times before I was able to say a word. How did he know my name? How did he and his guard found this place? Was he going to hurt me? Was he going to hurt… him? Did he know I was here with him? Was he here and all those men… to kill him? Me? Us?

_Oh my God_…, my mind cried, despaired, while I wasn't able of saying a word. I felt too appalled with the logics my mind created.

"I am not going to hurt you… Sora." The man said, raising his arms, a sign of surrender. My eyes remained on his and paralyzed on the same place I remained, not able of saying a word, only breathing audibly, scared and frightened… and whishing my General was next to me right now, because I felt damn too fragile.

"How do you know my name?" I whispered, my scared eyes facing his, who showed a confidant stare that was starting to freak me out already.

"You were reported missing." He declared, stepping in my direction. Well, that last action of him had me reacting immediately. "You were kidnapped, weren't you?"

_What_?

"There is nothing to fear now." The man insisted, trying to approach me.

"Don't come near me." I said, elevating my tone, as I stepped back the same distance he stepped forward.

"Easy…" The man said, recoiling immediately. "…I'm staying right here. I won't go near you, okay?" His eyes, still confident, gazed upon me now with obvious curiosity.

My breathing, still audible, echoed for moments in the silence that followed, until that man spoke again.

"You did know you were missing, didn't you?"

"No." I said, as if I was stating something way too obvious.

"Your file says otherwise."

_Oh-uh. _

"It's wrong." I declared, raising my tone a bit. "I disappeared… on my own will." I added, hoping that would clear things up.

"Did you so."

The ironic tone of that man sounded terrible. Not only he didn't believe me, he clearly thought I was lying. His dark eyes shone, scrutinizing my face and stare, while more men passed by, clearly circling the house, some right behind him, obviously waiting for his order to go and do something. And that, in particular, panicked me.

He made a sign, tilting his head slightly and, in the blink of an eye, five of those armed men passed by me, each one towards different parts of the house.

Well, wasn't this rude!

"Who are you?" I asked, suddenly.

"I am Tseng." He said. "I am… the responsible of the Department of Administrative Research, from Shinra." He informed. "Do you know why I am here?"

Uh, I had a pretty good idea, in fact.

"No…" I lied, knowing my face would give my uneasy away.

"I think you do." He affirmed, half-smiling. "But you are afraid of _him_, aren't you? Of what he might do to you if you give him away."

_What_? What the hell was he saying?

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

The man was growing impatient, I could tell by his tone and complexion. He wanted _my_ General. And he wanted him reaaaaly bad.

"Where is _he_, Sora?"

The man's voice was filled with impatience. His eyes shone, and his entire stance disclosed … annoyance.

"I don't know…" I reacted, trying to remain credible. But the stiffness on his face revealed exactly the opposite.

"I can be very comprehensive… but even my patience has limits." He said, tilting his head a little to the side. "Tell me where he is and you'll be free from his hell."

"Hell?" I quoted, realizing the man was getting everything wrong. I wasn't living a hell, I was living perfectly here, on my own will, what on Earth did the man think?

Reflexively, I took one step back. My reaction seemed to startle him a little. My heartbeat beat harder and anxiety was starting to win me over.

"He's been keeping you captive here, isn't he?"

My mouth half-opened as I processed his words. _Captive_? What the…? As the man stepped towards me, I couldn't help but to feel oppressed by the violence of his words. And yet, I couldn't say a thing. Something really bad was going to happen, I felt it in my core.

"Did he hurt you?" He asked, referring categorically to the General. How we were being able of engaging a conversation about the General without even naming him, remained a mystery.

The answer, however, was no. No, the General hadn't hurt me. At least not literally – physically, I mean. Emotionally… well, that was a different story. But that was way part of the past.

But the man kept walking in my direction. And he wasn't going to stop. I felt it, his eyes held the most decisive gaze. _Oh-uh_. This was going to get nasty.

"Did he-"

A vortex of wind, pieces of roof tiles and shattered concrete whirled around me… us, interrupting that man's speech. At first I thought it had been an explosion, that some of his men had blown up something… but a second after I realized it hadn't been anything like that at all. A warm, gloved hand reached for my waist and before I knew it, a body surrounded me. A body I recognized at once. _His_. It was him, my General, here for me, grabbing me close to him, his right arm encircling me and on his left hand… his magnificent, huge sword. I even heard the powerful slap of his glorious wing, a couple of times before he retracted it. I heard his breathing above my head, his tense stance not allowing me to feel not a bit relaxed underneath his hold. All the previous hate flowing in the air… was now smashed… uniquely with his _presence_.

"Off, Turk." He said, more like snarling. I almost didn't recognize his voice. "_Now_." He added, as if the man in front of him spoke a total different language.

The whole horde of men behind the said Tseng recoiled, visibly… shocked with the General's presence. I didn't know what they were expecting, I didn't know what they were prepared to… but I had the feeling that, apart from Tseng, no one was expecting to see the General in flesh and bone. Those men shivered discreetly, moved in a way that gave up their anxiety. Man, wasn't the General dominant.

"Well, well, isn't this interesting." Tseng affirmed, eyeing the General. He was the only one that – apparently - didn't fear him. Or then, he could simply mimic his fear very well.

"Back off, you and your dogs."

The general's voice sounded again, his tone flat and demanding. This was his military mode, completely on right now.

However, Tseng didn't flinch a bit. He even smiled slightly.

"You are in no position of making demands, General."

"This is my territory." The General answered back. "Get away or I'll sever more heads than you would like to."

_Oh-uh_. Threats. Something was telling me this wasn't going to end up well.

"I'm impressed." Tseng declared, shaking his head, his eyes on the General. "It's really you. The great General, Sephiroth." The man barely believed his own eyes. "How on Earth did you survive to-"

"What do you want?"

The sudden question seemed to intimidate Tseng a bit. At least, the man in front of us seemed slightly upset.

"General… what you did has consequences." He started, staring at Sephiroth solemnly. "But you know that, of course. You are under arrest for murder, genocide, massacre, disrespect, insubordination … do you want me to continue?"

"I have perception of what I did." The General said, his tone a little taken aback.

"Then… why are you resisting?" Tseng's question seemed almost rhetorical. "You know that you cannot escape. Not this time."

Oh my. And just like that, we were back to the assumption field once again. And the way Sephiroth shifted next to me didn't project the best outcome.

"You think you can make me submit that easily?" Sephiroth declared, smiling deviously. I couldn't see it, but his tone… oh his tone I could recognize it even with my eyes closed. "You'd better think again, Turk."

"Be reasonable, General." Tseng warned. "From what I remember, intelligence was one of your main features."

And then, silence seemed to take us all. A long, wordless speech flowed as each man gazed upon each other, and fright overwhelmed me. What was going to happen, from here? What would they do to us? Wh-

Sudden movement took me out of my thoughtful mood. Paralyzed under the General's hold, I had no chance but to obey. His arm, the one that held me, made a movement and I had no choice but to duck. And ducked I remained, while the most violent sounds swept over me. Out of fear, I closed my eyes and, with my hands, covered my ears. And, even with my hears covered, all I could hear was the rough sound of his sword, moving.

Moving.

And moving. There was something splattering me. Something liquid and thick… and I knew it was blood. The smell was unmistakable.

Like a trembling meat ball in the middle of that hall I remained, crouched indignantly, with tears falling with my eyes closed. I was afraid of opening them, I was afraid of what I would see.

Time passed by indistinctly – seconds that seemed like an eternity, until something changed again. I noticed a strong hold on my arm, my form literally removed from my previous position and dragged… forwards.

And, before I knew it, I was being held, hands on my wrists and something cold and circular, slightly irregular, against my neck and jaw.

It was then I opened my eyes, to face a complete different perspective.

The General was in front of me, at a distance of no more than three meters. His stance remained calmed and he was completely unharmed… unlike the be-headed bodies on the floor. The walls held now a very reddish tone, but amazingly… the General remained squeaky clean, without a drop of blood on him. Even his sword remained strangely unstained.

It took me a little to realize I was on the other side of this little… war here. The wrong side, for instance.

It didn't take much for panic to invade me, as the General's gaze met mine and I didn't find a damn thing in it. Nothing at all.

Pressure was applied in my jaw, making my head tilt a little to the left, where my scalp met another's man anatomy. I was under Tseng's hold – and he held me pretty tight, as if he pretended to crush my wrists. A stubborn tear escaped my eyes, as I gulped against the gun pressed against me, my eyes never leaving _his_.

_Please, save me…_, my mind screamed, despaired.

Yet, still and quiet he remained, his neutral stare prevailing and a cold breeze bathing the place, coming from the hole in the roof the General had created moments ago. His hair moved, danced beautifully to the breeze, as we simply stared against each other.

Now the supposed enemy was taking control of the situation… by using _me_, against _him_. Clear than water, I could see it now. Not enough men would stand upon him – The General would take them down, all of them. He would resist until the end… but with me added to the equation, things took a different turn.

Tseng had probably seen it. The protective hold of him on me. The tender way his ruthless hands rested on my form.

"I want her out of this." The General said, calm as ever, the three of us now completely alone in the hall of the house. Well, not exactly alone - us and a countless amount of corpses.

"Her?" Tseng quoted, his voice resonating close to me. His cautious tone revealed how confident he felt, waiting only for Sephiroth's answer. A subtle confirmation that something was definitely going on between… me and him.

"The woman. I want her clear." The General ordered, his face now slightly annoyed. His left hand clung to the sword in a way I didn't enjoy particularly.

"What?"

Tseng's tone was now filled with… shock? What was happening here, after all?

"Are you deaf, Turk?" The General mocked, smiling deviously for the second time today. "I want her out of this. Safe and sound." He talked slowly, as if he wanted to make his purpose very clear.

"General." Tseng whispered, a little taken aback. "Since _when_ do you make hostages?"

Well that one offended me to the point of I deciding to intervene.

"I'm no hostage, I'm here on my free will, I told you." I said, somehow uncomfortable under the pressure of that gun against the base of my jaw.

A painful moment of silence followed, and Sephiroth eyed me for a split of a second. He didn't say anything, he only stared painfully at Tseng.

However, it was Tseng's words that interrupted that awkward silence.

"Did you brainwash her? Like you enjoyed doing so much?" Tseng suggested, his tone curious. But he was far from done. "Or did you use her-"

"Shut. Up."

Now, this was the angry tone The General usually used.

"Wrong words, General."

Hell broke loose in less than a second – again. The General moved, so damn fast I couldn't process it. Now he was there, now he wasn't.

And before someone could do something, Tseng had the tip of the General's sword right there against his forehead, a deadly shine of metal that occupied my left upper angle of vision.

_Oh God_.

Painfully, I waited for that gun to shoot, shattering my head in a thousand pieces. But instead, all I heard was the General's words, irate and annoyed.

"Let her go, Tseng." He warned, "I'm telling you. You. Let. Her. go. Or _no one_ will live to tell of this."

All I could do was to gulp. God, did he mean all of us? Was he going to get us all killed?

"Really?" Tseng asked, his tone confident despite having the tip of a sword resting on his forehead. A sword whose owner remained in position… to strike at any moment. "What will you do, General? Who will be faster? Your hand or my finger?"

_Oh God_.

The General's reaction couldn't be harsher – what, in a way, surprised me. He wasn't calm – at all, and even I could see he was categorically loosing advantage now.

"Don't you dare to-"

"On your knees, General, or the woman will die."

_Oh my God_. _Don't_…, my mind screamed, and I gulped again, despaired. I couldn't just believe he was going to even _consider_ doing something like that!

"Don't." I mouthed, staring at him for a single moment, hoping he would come up with something to get us out of this situation. He was The General, the great all-mighty General, feared and respected.

However, his lack of action got me doubting of all I thought it was going to happen.

"Your sword. Toss it aside."

Tseng's words were categorically winning, as I started to see his hold on the sword changing, withdrawing it from Tseng's forehead and… painfully considering… tossing it aside?

I couldn't believe my eyes. What was he doing? Trusting the man? Just like that? And all because of _me_? Because the man was threatening to blow my head off?

God, my brains weren't that important!

"General..." I said, hoping I would dissuade him of doing something like that. This Tseng would have us both killed after having him unarmed. "Don't… do it." I whispered, feeling the pressure tightening against my cervical anatomy. I felt all hope abandon me in that moment. All I wanted was having him safe. Screw me, screw my messed up life. I had been happy enough for five lives, I could die now.

I felt prepared to die now. _For him_.

And I didn't mind.

"Go!" I said, closing my eyes and hoping I would hear something like… Oh, I didn't know, wings flapping and a gun firing. Yeah. That or… his sword crushing Tseng's skull and my head all over the wall. Something like that.

However, all I heard was an acute sound of metal… meeting the wooden floor that decorated the hall.

I opened my eyes reflexively to gaze upon… a complete disarmed, defenseless General. A man, completely dominated by a fragile hope that was… me.

_You idiot!_, my mind screamed.

"No…" I said, my voice failing at the sight – seeing him _surrendering_… hurt me, crushed me on the inside. He had his honor, his authority to keep! What was he thinking!

"Let her go." He said, his face stern. And his tone was… sad and filled with unavoidability.

For a moment, Tseng didn't move, nor the General. They simply stared at each other for a long time. And then, finally, Tseng's hold on the gun pressed against me started to loosen… until it disappeared completely.

I breathed unevenly, as I started to feel a little less oppressed. However, my main worry concerned the man that now stood like a freaking deity in the middle of be-headed bodies, an image worthy of remembering.

"Don't…" I whispered, thinking something in the line of _"Leave, get out of here. Run, what are you waiting for?"_, but nothing came out. Only the shock imprinted on my face revealed my distress.

Out of nowhere, men armed, dressed in black, just like those that were now dead, invaded the hall, stepping towards a very defenseless General.

At first, those men hesitated, as if they were actually afraid of touching _him_. But, confronted with his lack of reaction, when the first touched his shoulder and said, in a low voice "On your knees, General.", the others felt confident.

And all I could do was to stare, seeing the man that I loved falling on his knees under the orders of a bunch of huge black flies, and I couldn't help but to cry over that image.

_Oh, my God, what is he doing? Get up and leave. Don't let them even touch you_…

The General's gaze faced the ground, and I felt Tseng's hold on my wrists once again, as I moved reflexively under his hold. Come on, I just couldn't let him do this to himself.

"Let me go." I snarled, my watery eyes facing the General's lack of action.

"You learned fast." Tseng's said, his tone annoyed. "I wonder what else he taught you-"

"_Fuck you_." I snarled, looking at Tseng with pure hatred in my eyes. I know, it was impolite of me, but I simply didn't care.

"Sora." The General's eyes met mine, a stare that almost melted my heart… and soul. "Enough." He said, again, and I felt like a kid discreetly reprimanded for my lack of manners.

And as if that awkward moment wasn't horrible enough, a guard coming out of nowhere arrived and started reporting to Tseng.

"Sir, we found traces of blood nearby. The second team just reported to have found carbonized human remains nearby. "

_Oh, Christ, can this get any worse_?

"Well, well, well, what have you been doing, General?" Tseng's tone sounded curious and a little ironic. "Justice on your own hands? Another human you mercilessly killed?"

Okay, enough was enough. So I decided to intervene.

"I did it. I killed that man. And I cut him to pieces and burned him until there was nothing left." I informed, eyeing Tseng directly, whose stare clearly disbelieved me. "I did it!" I said, my tone rising to a rather despaired level.

"You don't have to _lie_ to protect your captor. You're-"

"He's not my captor damn it!" I interrupted, tired of that sick, idiotic theory they had about me and the General.

But, bad news weren't over yet.

"We found bloodied clothes in the basement, Sir." One of the recently-arrived man informed, now. "It's all wrapped up for lab analysis."

_Oh, please, what is this?_

So, once again, I intervened, trying to justify all those things that held no credible justification for absolutely no person in that hall but me and the General, who remained immobile. And that was starting to freak me out already.

"It's mine. That blood is mine, he has done nothing-"

"He's been torturing you and yet you are protecting him?" Tseng interrupted me, mercilessly. His skepticism concerning my words made me feel despaired. Not to mention angry. "You're a fool, woman." He added, reinforcing his grasp on my wrists.

"Stop making assumptions, I'm telling you, I-"

" Sora." The General's words silenced me. It was the first time I was listening to his voice, after his surrender. "A word with the woman, Turk." He asked, eyeing Tseng. I could sense this was serious enough. His tone perspired gravity.

_Oh-uh_.

"Why should I allow you to? You've killed half of my team already."

Yeah, Tseng had a point there.

"I admitted defeat." The General reacted, his tone clearly… dull. "Let me have a word with the woman."

And I didn't know if his words touched Tseng in some way or if simply the man was just curious to see what extra surprises the General could offer him today. As if surrendering like he did hadn't been enough already.

"You have one minute." Tseng said, freeing my hands from his iron grip.

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_**A/N – And there you have it. **_

_**Next chapter… it's the final one. Review, people, let me know what you think of this. And… what do you think it's gonna happen.**_


	46. Chapter 42

A/N - Okay, so this is the last chapter from Dreamcatcher. Hope you like it… and the sequel it's on its way. I created a poll to figure out a name, I'm kind of lost here and I need your opinion. You may check it out on my profile – leave your vote :D

About our General's actions... you may find him a little OCC, specially those of you who are particularly fond of his dark and cruel personality, but I'm trying to portray him a little more humanly since the very beggining. I honestly hope you all understand... and enjoy the chapter.

And welcome a new era.

**_Disclaimer: As always._**

* * *

_As a song to end this story, I thought this one would do justice to our General's state of mind. _

_I'm your man on the cross  
I'm the soul you have lost  
I'm the choice you regret  
One you wish to forget  
Lover broken and sad  
Lost the dreams that you had  
How I wish I could be everything that you need_

_**The devil you know – Econoline crush**_

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**Chapter 42 - Something new begins...**

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**Sephiroth's POV.**

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There were moments in life I actually didn't know if I was alive or dead, if I actually belonged to this planet or not.

Jenova. When she dared to talk to me, in my mind, compelling my body and corrupting my soul… it was one of those moments. I felt so alien, so… out of everything. As if I didn't belong here… neither there.

I didn't belong anywhere.

And now, while I remained on my knees, contracting my will to a rather degrading level, all I could ask was why. Why did She got me killed, why did she revived me, why did she delivered me in the arms of a woman who loved me in spite of what I had done, in spite of my harsh manners and sometimes cruel whims. Why did She talk to me days from now, using words I didn't understand, riddles I wasn't capable of deciphering.

Her voice drove me mad. Drove the little sanity I had astray, resuming me to a… miserable pawn, in her hands.

I had always been taught to fight and live. Never surrender, never give up. Superiority above all, arrogance and confidence. All those words described me.

Seeing that overconfident Turk winning me over revolted me terribly – seeing he had her on his arms, about one movement to stop her heart from beating… just one little twist of fingers and the reason of my weakness would inevitably end.

Yes, she was my weakness. So tender, so loving, so… forgiving. And I would be able to do anything for her, to get her out of trouble, remove her from his arms and go away, fly away from here… towards nowhere.

I had no place to go. We had no place to go from here.

My sense of self-integrity alerted me while I dialogued with Tseng. I knew I had to leave if I wanted to escape – I would have to leave, alone – swiftly and fast, out of this place, towards nothingness, in a blink of an eye. They wouldn't have seen me go, neither find me… I would disappear, alone and solitaire… as it should have been, from the beginning.

But feelings – oh, those treacherous emotions didn't let me. Concentrating hard, I knew I could have ignored them and, no matter what, save myself. Because I was too precious and powerful to obey orders from humans such as… Turks.

However… my mental barriers were cracked. I had dangerous emotions flowing inside me, tainting my survival instincts… and it only took one little push to make me behave the way I did.

"_Do not leave her._" She said. "_Don't let them kill her._"

Jenova's words echoed in my head, and all my world shrank to a rather deplorable state.

"_I refuse to surrender_." My mind answered. "_I know what awaits me if I do. I must escape, Mother_."

However, Jenova's words were rough.

"_Protect her life with your own_." Her done was demanding, and I felt my will of escaping crack as I thought of disobeying her. "_If she dies, I will make sure you suffer_."

"_Mother_…" I thought, not understanding her harsh manners and… threats? "… _but why_?"

And Her answer was swift, her tone revealing a unseen smile and an irony I wasn't particularly fond of.

"_You will see… in due time_."

And still and quiet I remained, while Tseng said words I didn't want to hear.

"_Obey him. Now_."

As I processed her words, I felt all strength abandon me. And not because I wasn't capable of fighting Her voice – I could at least try to fight her, ignore her demands… but her mention to having me suffering if I didn't… save the woman about to die in front of me, plus the constricting feeling my chest was experiencing as I processed the image of her, dead… dying, for me, to allow me escaping like a selfish bastard…

No, it did hurt too much. This wasn't right. I couldn't let her die for me – her life meant something, I just simply couldn't… be that egocentric anymore.

Images of what they would do to her if they didn't kill her filled my mind. They would torture her, they would use her as decoy, and who knows what else. Only because of me. Only because I had been selfish to the point of…

"_Now_."

Jenova's final words were all I needed to decide what I had to do. And suddenly, my will changed. All of the sudden, I remained strangely calm, still and quiet, willing to… stop, once and for all.

Because all this I felt was heavier than I could bear. And also, because my alien mother knew exactly she weakened me – this woman, this simple, hurt and feeble human… was my weakness.

And all the planet was about to know that as well.

My sword fell from my grasp and I sighed. Shame, sadness and dishonor invaded me, as I imagined what would happen to me from here. The hand of… some of my men – that used to be my men, under my orders – now ordered me. "On your knees, General." One of them said, voice trembling with fear.

Yeah, they knew I could kill them all in a blink of an eye… if I simply wanted to.

Problem was… I didn't want to. _I couldn't_.

There was nothing I could do but this. I had no choice but this.

Undignified, I kneeled down. I couldn't even stare at _her_. That woman, the source of my weakness, who was willing to give her life for me… had won my heart. She had won it, and she had no idea she had that power.

And all I could feel was humiliation… and despair. There was no rage, no fury. My hands clenched and I considered… what I should say, what should I do to soften this moment.

It was her impolite words towards Tseng that made me react.

"Sora" I said, my eyes searching hers. "Enough."

Yes, it was enough. I needed to talk to her, tell her what was going to happen. Because I, better than anyone, knew what was going to happen from now. To both of us.

I dialogued with the Turk, trying to negotiate a word. It was difficult, but he allowed… one minute.

I had one minute to tell Sora that she would never see me again. And how could I say this to her without… without hurting her.

I gulped at the thought of seeing her cry. And as she approached me, her eyes on mine, slowly and trembling all over, all I could think was that she was a beautiful and strong woman, maybe stronger than many men I knew.

Once close to me, I saw her legs giving in, her too falling to her knees in front of me. Breathless with despair, I heard her voice.

"What… What a-are you. doing."

As she eyed me with grief, tears fell along her face. I sensed how surprised she was, not understanding my attitude. She clearly thought I should have left without her and left her to die without even blinking. And, in a way, I thought the same way too. But human beings were complicated… and I had a lot of human being inside and outside.

"Listen, Sora-" I said, almost whispering.

"Don't say it. Don't." She whispered, while she fought a sob, shaking her head and closing her eyes. Her frail image, so despaired and weak in front of me was almost unbearable to stand.

"You'll have to be strong now." I said, going straight to the point. "I am going to be taken. And you'll be headed someplace else. You'll be safe."

My words, calm and apparently so devoid of emotion, hid the most potent grief I had ever felt. And her face, while she processed my speech… was excruciating.

"I don't want us to be apart." She said, barely whispering.

"It's just for a little time." I lied, knowing that, most likely, I wouldn't see her again. Ever. "Just a little."

It was cruel of me, lying to her so openly, but I had no choice. I wanted her alive. I wanted her… safe. Even if that meant "without me"… I had to do this.

"I don't… I can't-" She sobbed, now more openly. I glanced at Tseng, who eyed us with curiosity and shock. Yeah, I understood why. _This_ was so not me. At least, not _me_ the way he used to know me.

The tears falling and falling were making all this worse… and completely pointless. There was no way she was going to accept that we were going to be apart from now on. As if I didn't know her already.

"But you have to." I said, my voice demanding. "For you. For me."

"Can't we just go away? Fly away from here and-"

"Not this time, Sora…" I said, holding back a terrible determination of holding her and tell her things… totally unwise. "Not this time…"

"I won't leave you, don't you think that-"

"I need you to be safe." I insisted, realizing she was not going to give up on me that easily. This was going to be difficult. "Even if it's without me."

"Don't…" She said, her hands on her face. She was crying openly and our minute was about to end.

"You have to, for your own sake." I said, as if I was reprimanding a child. It was cruel, but I had to do it. "Don't make this harder than it is." I whispered, my voice breaking at the end of the sentence.

She stared at me with reddish eyes, as she sensed my uneasiness.

"Don't. Please."

Her pleadings were terrible. Her anguished complexion was now too much for me to bear. So I did what I knew I shouldn't do.

"It's okay." I said, holding her next to me. "It's okay…" I reinforced, thinking of the best way to end this oppressive moment we were living.

"No, please. Don't take me away from you…" Her voice, against my chest, gave me the resolve I needed to do what I had to do.

Saying goodbye was awful enough. I was going to stop this terrible moment right now.

"Sleep…" I said, while I summoned a sleep spell. It wouldn't have to be potent to have effect on her. And besides, I had done it once on her.

"Don't go… please don't… leave…"

Her speech became slow and sleepy, as the woman in my arms gradually fell asleep, while every and single person around me – us – watched us with amazement.

_How I wish things could be different.._., my mind concocted, while I sensed her mind falling into a profound and blissful sleep. Her body relaxed, so calmly accommodating next to mine.

Silence took over, and no living soul dared to speak. Only Sora's soft breathing scored the moment, seconds that passed by. My minute was long gone. But Tseng didn't mention it, nor said a word. His stare was locked on me and the woman resting on my arms, as we both remained on our knees.

The only voice echoing the place came exactly from my right side.

"I have to admit that I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it."

That voice. Unmistakably, I recognized it – it held the… familiarity I had been once used to. And, of course, that characteristic Mako impregnation all over that not-so-human body that made it so easily traceable. At least, for me.

I smiled against the soft hair now resting against my upper chest, and I glanced upon the form that timidly, remained half-hidden by the window-door of the kitchen.

Mako eyes met Mako eyes thoroughly. _So predictable. So easily manipulated_.

"Does it still hurt… Strife?" I said, smiling deviously. And so promptly, I had returned to my usual mode once again. I enjoyed particularly getting on his nerves… for obvious reasons. And, judging by Cloud's reaction, I realized that the wounds I had inflicted on him still hurt. Most likely, those wounds would hurt every day, since he had "killed" me. Those wounds would hurt… not physically, but emotionally. And his eyes… oh, Cloud's eyes were as transparent as his intentions.

"General. It's time to go." Tseng interrupted, stepping in my direction. I eyed him hardly. "Take the-"

"I will carry her." I said, interrupting him arrogantly. I know, it was rude of me, but I didn't care. Swiftly I stood, with Sora in my arms, sleeping like a baby.

"Your arrogance remains the same – unworthy of any mercy." Tseng declared, approaching me. His eyes defied me, pleased with his little victory… over me. "However… that I'll grant you. Because this will be the last time you'll hold her in her arms."

"I know that." I said, smiling ironically while our stare remained locked in a speechless battle of words.

"This way, General." Tseng gestured, categorically ignoring my little provocation.

And silently, leaving my own house, escorted by dozens of armed men, I walked towards the forest, where several helicopters awaited us.

I had created an invisible corridor around me, ahead of me, sensing Strife's presence way behind. The bastard was checking the perimeter, like I taught him to do after every mission on field. I had never seen this many men for a sole mission.

Apparently, they had been really sure of my position … and existence, to prepare a mission of this proportion.

And I had missed it, because they had used a whole different way of communication, untraceable. I had missed it… because I had been secluded from real life for too long.

But how could they possibly know I was alive?

Something had to happen… something that I wasn't able to predict, that gave away my position.

And while I walked towards those black huge military helicopters, I wondered… where had I failed to see what was obvious?

I sat silently, surrounded by armed men, Tseng exactly in front of me. Sora still slept in my arms, completely unaware of her surroundings. She wouldn't wake up soon. I would make sure she wouldn't see me get arrested like a common criminal.

In silence we flew, only the sound of the propellers moving furiously above us.

-/-

"We're here." Tseng declared, as my eyes faced a huge complex of buildings, a place I wasn't exactly familiar with. I dared to break the silence.

"And this is-"

"Shinra. The new operation base."

Oh well. That explained a lot then. That explained… I had been checking the communications of a total different base then.

The helicopter went down slowly and stopped, everybody around us preparing to leave. I didn't admit it, but I felt a little oppressed. Not to mention the dreadful moment was about to come… _that_ moment. I glanced quickly at the woman sleeping in my arms.

I stared at Tseng moments after, still sit in front of me. With a simple gesture, all the men surrounding us exited the helicopter… and waited for me, outside. My eyes questioned Tseng, which seemed completely at ease with me and my little drama.

"You know you'll have to let her go eventually." Tseng said, his tone neutral and… understanding.

"I know that perfectly." I admitted, still eyeing Tseng and remembering Jenova's words… "_If she dies, I'll make sure you suffer_." … and concluding that if _this_, what I was feeling, wasn't suffering… then I didn't know what could be worse than _this_.

"She'll be taken care of." Tseng said, as if guessing my worry.

"By whom?" I inquired, visibly curious. I wanted to know. I had the right to know _who_ on Earth was taking care of my… _woman_.

"That's for the company to decide."

Oh no, that was not nearly enough.

"I want assurances of her well-being."

"You know the norms. Those haven't changed."

"You gave me your word, Turk."

My words hid concealed threats, as my eyes burned with fury.

"And I will accomplish it." Tseng clarified, as if mildly offended with my insinuation. "You can let her go."

It was then I saw, through my peripheral vision, something white. Several persons, in white… coats. Lab personal. With a litter.

I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment. It was time. It was time to let her go.

_My Sora. What will happen with you, now that I won't be with you_?

_Who will protect you?_

_Who will comfort you?_

_Who will dry your tears when you'll know of the truth?_

"General…" Tseng's voice echoed in that small, restricted place, waking me from less proper thinkings. The man was impatient – I get it, to a point. I would be to, if I was on his feet.

_I know_, my mind answered. _I know_.

Before something inadequate could happen, I exited the helicopter, towards the white coat personnel. They eyed me frightened, scared and without a clue of what I was going to do. Four man and one woman stared at me and the woman I had in my arms.

Slowly, I laid Sora in the litter, her long, dark brown hair decorating her frame. With a swift movement, I touched her cheek with my fingers, hoping I could trap her skin texture within my grasp, so I could remember her anytime I wanted.

Facing the incapability of doing so, all I could do was to exhale noisily, resigning to my fate… and destiny.

With grief in my heart, I watched how they took her – from me, they were taking her from me.

I would never see her again. I would never touch her again.

"Let's get moving, General."

Tseng. His voice, ordering me to walk. Under the stare of hundreds, maybe thousands of amazed eyes, calmly I walked, towards one of the buildings.

Once inside, I knew what I had expecting me.

_A cage_.

And once the heavy steel doors closed noisily behind me, I realized there was nothing I could do now to prevent the imminent fate that awaited me.

However, a familiar voice surprised me.

"Welcome back, General."

That voice. I knew it. Where…

I turned around, searching for the source of that voice. I narrowed my eyes as I faced Hojo's hologram right behind me. His face couldn't perspire more delight.

And that was the _click_ my mind needed.

Revolt, disgust and rage invaded me instantaneously. And, before I knew it, my mind and body seemed to explode. I felt my aura changing, my powerful emotions channeling through something completely unhuman.

And, before I knew it, everything around me darted white, blue… sparks and flames started to form around me, whirling around… and I let my emotions fuel the vortex of elements my mind seemed to have control in.

Raged, hurt and despaired, I breathed heavily, while I looked at my gloved hands and realized I couldn't stand the oppression inside me anymore. So I stared at the hologram and, with pure hatred in my eyes… I simply stood silent.

* * *

**... TO BE CONTINUED...**


	47. Final AN

**Final A/N and acknowledgements**.

* * *

Okay guys, as you well know, Dreamcatcher is over, the story's complete and I would like to thank all of you, from the beginning until its very end, that supported me, reviewed avidly and inspired me to write such a huge story.

I have to admit it felt extremely gratifying getting to know people that drew moments of the story, that "lived" this story with me, shared opinions and made this experience unique. Writing ff sure is a challenge but the readers are the ones making the difference.

All of the drawings/sketches made based on the story are available on my Dart account, they're also posted on my website (check my profile to see it), and you are invited to sign in and participate, comment on the blogs – and, on the Fanfiction section of the website, you may read and check on all my fic's and original stuff I'm writing actually.

Dreamcatcher inspired readers to a point of inspiring some of them to write fic's including Sora (my OC). It is very gratifying to read and you can check it out – _**CyanDiamondIce**_'s story – _**Living Dreams**_.

So, bottom line is thank you so much for all your support and I really hope I can see you guys reviewing and reading Dreamcatcher's sequel – whose name is under a poll now – make your vote count!

:D Thank you so much.

A Glimpse of Ethereal Blue.

* * *

_The sequel after Dreamcatcher_… a sneakpeak.

* * *

So I guess it was inevitable… but I must warn you the odds aren't very cheerful towards our love birds. As you know, The General is permanently under custody and Sora will inevitably find herself alone, with no place to go and her one and only love unreachable to her grasp. And, to worsen things, she is informed of something very serious – something is happening to her – her body, her soul, her integrity – are compromised and she finds herself lost without knowing what to do... and without support. So, someone else's will be Sora's companion while the General is under custody… and, inevitably, that someone will make a considerable effort to separate them... permanently.

Will Sora bow to the will of another? Now, with her love apart from her, will absence play tricks on her heart?

Will someone have the power to threaten their _love_?

* * *

...


	48. The sequel

The sequel for Dreamcatcher is now up:

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_**Dreamcatcher 2: Dreaming Awake**_**.**

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**Some of you asked me to advertise the upcoming sequel here. So there you have it, there is no way you can miss it now. **

**Search it on the search bar or my profile. As always you're most welcome to comment and open your mind. There will be challenges, contests and special episodes as prizes for those who participate. **

**Try my other fanfic's and special ep's if you are up to. I'm currently working on Dreamcatcher 2 and PORTAL, both FF7 fics with OC's. **

**I'll try to update as regularly as I can. :D And I'll answer to each and every review, because you guys are fuel to keep my muse working. Thank you so much.**

* * *

**Enjoy your readings…**


	49. AN - New Year's Resolutions 2013

Final Author's Note: **New Year's Resolutions for 2013** :) [And further…]

* * *

I decided to do something with this fic, and I wanted to share it with you guys. I've posted it here because I know the info will reach much more than through my FB page.

Okay people, I wanted to tell you all that I'm editing DREAMCATCHER in 2 different ways:  
- First, the fanfic will be edited, expanded with - at least, 1 extra chapter -, and soon will be available in .epub format (as well as all the e-reader formats available - it's a ton of them) for you to download in my official website. All the short-stories written aside will be included as well.  
- Second, I will edit the fanfic and make the necessary changes in it to make it self-publishable, [as you all know, fanfics cannot be publishable due to copyrights]. I think I can make it work, I know it will be VERY hard to make up a whole new universe replacing FF7 with fair originality but I have to try. If things don't work out, well, it will remain a fanfic and I'm proud of it no matter what.

Meantime, I'll be letting you know of how it goes.  
Eventually the fic will have the same name, I plan to make it available both in paperback/ebook formats and you're all very welcome to engage in this adventure with me.  
I'll be needing _coverart_ advising as well, so if any of you want to be in, all I can promise is exposure/advertising with all my will.

Hence, I goad you to like my FB page - it's more dynamic and easy to discuss matters, suggest, etc. You're all very welcome to do so.

And finally, I would like to thank you all very much - those who review and those who not, your support has been amazing. I never thought Dreamcatcher would have hundreds of visitors a day, since I've started with it. Good God, blessed the moment I decided to put into paper what my mind screamed, begged me to write. It was liberating, amazing and challenging - creating Sora, her dramatic life and past and make it work with a character as demanding as Sephiroth. Writing under his skin was great, he's definitely my favorite from FF7 universe. At all levels, a constant challenge: "how will I write as him reacting to her", "how will I write as him falling in love with her"… those were difficult times, I tried with all my soul to step inside his mind and think, see, feel through him.

I check my ffic account daily (in average) and it never ceases to surprise me how so many of you actually enjoy reading the story, no matter the incoherencies, the typos, the (sometimes) strange phrase structure.

For all this and so much more I cannot even describe, my deepest, sincere thank you.

I'll keep on working on the sequel (Dreamcatcher 2), as well as PORTAL, my latest addiction.

Love you, guys.

A glimpse of Ethereal Blue.


End file.
